


Harvester of Sorrow

by Shazkowalski



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:21:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 30,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26390329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shazkowalski/pseuds/Shazkowalski
Summary: Set immediately after the end of the first series. Miguel has won the tournament, Johnny isn't happy with the tactics used and Kreese has just appeared back on the scene.This picks up when Kreese visits Johnny at the end of season one/beginning of season two.Kreese reappearing hits Johnny harder than he would have thought- years of fear and hatred resurfacing with no release. It surprises them all when Daniel is the one that tries to help him through it.**Chapter Fourteen Added 30/11/2020**
Comments: 25
Kudos: 128





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> My first attempt at a Cobra Kai story- so please let me know your thoughts on it!  
> I love this series!!

Chapter One

Daniel LaRusso sighed as he poured himself a glass of wine and looked at the trophy that sat on the counter in front of him. Robby had come so far- he had gained focus and commitment, and had deserved to win. He sighed as he took a sip- he had known he couldn’t trust Johnny Lawrence, Cobra Kai was the bad apple rotten to the core that it had always been. His instincts were right, he was sure of it- so why did he just feel the tiniest niggle of doubt in his mind.

He sat down and looked into the depths of his glass as he gathered his thoughts. How had it come to this? Karate had been such a big part of his teenage years- part of what defined him as him, and he would never resent that, but maybe he had let the competition go too far. Maybe he had used the kids as a way of getting back at his own nemesis, but then Johnny always knew which buttons of his to push.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Johnny sat signing papers and doing all the boring paperwork running a Dojo involved when he heard the door open. He got to his feet- sure that it would be his student coming to debrief the tournament. He peered out around the office door, and a shudder ran down his spine as a voice that still haunted his dreams came from the shadows. He smelt the familiar smell of cigar smoke, as he stepped into the light.

He found himself unable to move. He stood stock still and stared ahead right into the face of his former Sensei who he had believed to have been long since dead. He didn’t consider himself easily shocked, but he had truly believed he would never have to look at the older man’s sneering face ever again- yet here he stood before him in his own dojo. He forced himself to breath, to ignore the rising sense of panic that he felt in his gut- he swallowed past the nausea that threatened to come, he barely heard the first words the older man spoke as the ringing in his ears drowned it out. He controlled his breathing and made himself concentrate, he couldn’t show weakness in front of this monster- that would break him.

“The real stories only just begun” the husky voice spoke as John Kreese stepped onto the mats. Johnny managed to gather himself together enough to speak, stepping forward to face the man that he would never forgive for wrecking his childhood.

“I thought you were dead” he stated, he had- when he had heard of his former sensei’s demise he had mixed feelings, he had shed tears, he had drowned his sorrows and his nightmares that he thought had left him returned for weeks on end. But he had moved on, now his life was finally coming back together and the ghost of his teens was about to ruin that.

He could take it no more as he heard the words, felt like the teenager that had nearly been choked out and had been manipulated into doing whatever the older man had wanted him to do.  
Something inside him snapped and before he could stop himself he had aimed a punch towards the other man, unsurprised when it was blocked. Within seconds he found himself on the mat- but he was stronger now. He was a man in his own right, and this was his Dojo- he wasn’t going to be defeated here. He had never felt such a level of satisfaction as when his kick struck the other man in the face and he recoiled from the force- the cigar flying through the air. He knew it was a red rag to a bull, but he couldn’t back down. He couldn’t afford for Kreese to win again.

Minutes later he found himself face first into the mirror- glass shattering all around him, but he felt nothing- his body numbed by the ghost of his past re appearing. He got to his feet, tackling the man to the ground and applying the same choke hold that had nearly claimed his own life all those years previously. Everything he had been taught and everything that had shaped him into somebody he didn’t want to be. He did the one thing Kreese had always told them not to do- he showed mercy, and the next thing he had several more bruises and he was laid out on the floor with the distinct smell of smoke coming from behind him.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Daniel sighed, he couldn’t settle. He hadn’t been happy with the tournament, but as he reviewed it in his mind he couldn’t help but think of the expression on Johnny’s face. It wasn’t the cocky sneer that had been so familiar in high school, he had looked almost disturbed when Miguel had delivered the final blow to Robby. He ran his hand through his hair, maybe Amanda was right- maybe he was being hasty, maybe he should try and talk to Johnny. He scoffed to himself, it had never ended well before- why would it being any different now?

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Johnny had no concept of time as his body, numb from shock, laid still on the mats. The sprinklers had long since finished, but it felt as though time was standing still.  
How was this happening to him?  
What had he done to deserve everything around him to constantly turn to shit?  
How could he literally fuck it up every time?

He closed his eyes, his head was pounding as suddenly feeling began to return. He knew he should move, he knew he needed to make sure the fire was out, check himself for injuries and probably remove the shards of glass imbedded in his flesh- but he couldn’t.

He closed his eyes as seven years of constant torture at the hands of Kreese attacked his memory, and he raised his hands to cover his face as he felt the start of tears forming in his eyes. He swallowed, the familiar feel of bile rising in his throat as he was bombarded with the feelings of hated he had supressed for years.  
He attempted to roll onto his side, his body betraying him as it refused to co-operate. He felt he was back at the lowest ebb of his life, and then he heard the now familiar New jersey accent.

“Johnny? What the hell?” as Daniel LaRusso walked into the Dojo, Johnny groaned as suddenly his night got even worse, he managed to glance up without his stomach betraying him and muttered.

“Get your shoes off my mats”, but he didn’t hear the answer as his eyes rolled back into his head and he submitted to the battering his body had taken.

End Chapter One


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Johnny is found by the person he least expected- Daniel finds himself feeling an unfamiliar wave of concern for his one time enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those of you that have left Kudos and comments- I really appreciate it! Please let me know what you think of this- I thrive on your comments!

Chapter Two

Daniel stepped cautiously into the Dojo, the lights were on and the door was ajar, which seemed strange for the time of night. Within seconds he saw his old high school enemy laid out on the mats on the floor and he couldn’t help the gasp that escaped him. He looked around and saw smoke coming from a bin in the corner, broken shelves and glass everywhere from a mirror that had clearly been smashed. 

“Johnny? What the hell?” Daniel stated as he moved forward to see if the other man was hurt, he winced as the other man seemed to weakly lift his head. He quickly noticed the small pool of blood underneath him and didn’t miss the slight groan that he made even with that slight movement.

“Get your shoes off my mats”, Johnny stated, his voice a slur and barely above a whisper. It appeared even that small amount of movement was too much for the other man as his head dropped back down and he seemed to pass out.

“Shit” LaRusso uttered, moving forward and kneeling beside the other man. He looked him over to try to see what other injuries he had and quickly noted the bruising to his face and his right arm. There was a freely bleeding cut to his nose and the back of his head seemed to be the source of the blood gathering beneath him. “Johnny!” he called gently shaking the other man’s shoulder, there was no response and Daniel found his concern growing. He gently reached across and pinched his ear lobe, relieved when the action got a slight response. “Come on Johnny- it’s Daniel in your Dojo” he taunted him, rubbing the larger man’s sternum as he spoke, surprised when Johnny practically curled up on himself as it invoked unexpected pain. It did the trick and the bright blue eyes finally began to blink open. Johnny blinked several times, clearly not fully with it before screwing his eyes shut, tears leaking out of the closed lids. He groaned as pain spasmed through his body. Daniel placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping to comfort him and was surprised by the flinch the action brought. Daniel didn’t remove his hand, wanting the other man to know that he was there.   
Suddenly the groan became more urgent, and Daniel used every reflex he had to carefully roll the other man to the side as he began coughing and heaving. He rubbed his back in much the same way he would his children when they were ill, and knew instantly that Johnny would hate it- especially coming from him, but he couldn’t help the almost involuntary action. 

“Oh shit” Johnny groaned as he managed to gather himself together. 

“Just relax man, I will call an ambulance” Daniel assured him. Johnny swatted the phone away weakly.

“No” he groaned.

“Johnny you need medical attention, look at you” Daniel tried to reason with him. 

“I’m fine” he argued as he tried to pull himself into a sitting position, failing miserably. “Help me up LaRusso” he asked, his voice breaking. Daniel hesitated, doubting the wisdom in that decision. “Please” Johnny added, his voice barely a whisper. Daniel sighed, before reaching out and carefully helping the bigger man to his feet, barely catching him as he swayed.

“This is a bad idea Johnny- you could be making this worse” Daniel stated, his face grim, but full of concern.

“Worse than this?” Johnny muttered feeling exhausted. “Can you take me home?” he asked, and it took every ounce of strength he had to ask Daniel LaRusso for even that little bit of help. 

“I will take you to the emergency room” Daniel argued.

“Fine I’ll drive myself” Johnny commented, pushing himself away from the other man and staggering into the office to get his keys. Daniel followed him slowly, unsurprised to find the injured man leaning against the desk, bent over with his eyes closed. 

“Ok- I will drive you home, but I am checking you over when we get there” Daniel threatened, and could hardly believe the situation they were somehow in. Johnny nodded, too tired and in too much pain to reply. He grabbed his keys and walked slowly towards the door- Daniel following behind, ready to catch him if he fell. 

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Daniel had fastened the larger man into the car and then returned to Cobra Kai- mopping down the mixture of vomit and bile, and making sure the fire was properly out before locking up and returning to the car. He quickly got in and started the ignition, he cast a quick glance at his passenger. Johnny was sat with his head rested back, eyes tightly closed- his right arm supported by his left and wrapped around his ribs. 

Daniel shook his head he knew without doubt that the other man needed a hospital, but he also knew that the little ground the two men had made up would be lost in a heartbeat if he betrayed his trust.

“You with me?” he asked softly, deciding to himself that if Johnny had passed out again then he would take him to the emergency room with no arguments. A small nod answered him and the car salesman sighed to himself. He drove carefully and quickly through the dark streets, he had no idea what had happened within the Dojo. Johnny was an amazing fighter- if he was honest with himself he knew that he was far better than he had ever been. He was solid and strong, and his technique was smooth- it must have taken something extraordinary for them to get the drop on the Sensei- or there was more to it. Either way he intended on finding out.

Within fifteen minutes he was pulling into the parking spot at Johnny’s apartment complex.

“Where are your keys?” He asked gently, and Johnny handed them to him at the same time as he moved to unfasten his seatbelt- hissing as it pulled on one of his injuries. 

“Sit tight- I will go and open up” Daniel told him with a squeeze of the hand. Within a minute Daniel was back beside him and opening his door. “Come on man” he offered his hand and was partly surprised when Johnny reached for it- his palm clammy as he tried his best to hoist himself out of the car. Daniel grasped his elbow and assisted him in getting upright. The two men moved slowly towards the apartment, both relieved to make it through the door.

“Sensei” a voice called out, and Miguel looked at them both in surprise. “Shit!” he gasped as he caught sight of his Sensei. “What did you do?” he asked Daniel with a hiss as he moved to help Johnny on his other side. Johnny snorted, the first hint of his personality coming through.

“As if LaRusso could” he muttered, but accepted the help from the other man into the apartment.

“My Mom just got home- I’ll go and get her” Miguel told them, and Johnny winced even more at the comment- knowing that Carmen would not be happy with him. 

“Sofa or bedroom?” Daniel asked. His question was answered by the taller man easing himself down in his armchair.

“Thanks” Johnny whispered as he sat down. Of all of the people to come to his aid why did it have to be LaRusso?. Daniel looked at the other man, at least he was moving and talking, that made him feel much better. 

“Johnny- Miggy says you are hurt?” Carmen stated as she dashed into the apartment and gasped at what she saw, her son had understated the facts somewhat.

“I’m fine- no need to fuss” he told her, but he didn’t open his eyes as he spoke.

“I will decide that” she told him, her tone firm as she moved across to him. “Now get up and get your butt into the bedroom so I can check you properly” she told him, and somehow he moved without argument. Daniel couldn’t help the grin that formed on his face at the interaction. 

He looked around the apartment now he found himself alone. It was small, but neat and tidy- things he hadn’t expected of his ex nemesis. Maybe the other man really was trying to turn things around?

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

“I’m fine” Johnny argued as he sat on the edge of his bed.

“Sure- you look it” Carmen tutted as she looked at his glassy eyes. “Where’s it hurt?” she asked him trying to see where the most injuries were. He sighed, hating the attention and the fuss, but knowing that at this point he had little choice. 

“Everywhere” he finally stated with a wince, and she couldn’t help the small smile that graced her face.

“Shall we start with the ribs?” she asked, not missing his arm protectively wrapped around his torso. “Get you shirt off” she told him and he raised his eyebrow. “I can’t check your ribs with you shirt on” he sighed again, his face pinching as the action pulled on his damaged ribs. He got to his feet with difficulty before attempting to get his long sleeve t-shirt off, quickly realising it wasn’t going to happen. He groaned in defeat as he failed in his attempt to strip down. Carmen took pity on him and stepped forward, grabbing the hem of the cotton shift and in one swift motion pulling it up and over his head. She knew it had hurt him by the immediate groan that followed- but it was necessary. 

Johnny felt his head and chest explode as the shift was pulled over his head, and his vision swam from the pain.

“Just breath through it Johnny” Carmen soothed him as he doubled over trying desperately to regain his composure. She rubbed gentle circles on his back, trying to comfort him. After a few moments he had gathered himself together enough to carefully sit back down, as he turned Carmen saw the extent on the damage, she held back her gasp. The entire left side of his rib cage was mottled in stark bruising, swelling over the mid section- around what she immediately identified as the perfect heel print from a boot.

“Oh Johnny” she whispered as she gently probed at the bruising, feeling the shift underneath her fingers. “That’s at least one broken rib” she told him with a sigh, and he nodded- completely unsurprised. Now his arm was bare she could see the bruising that covered his forearm and the cuts that covered his hand. “I’m going to get some ice and something to clean you up with” she told him, concerned at how quiet he was- it was almost unnatural. She stepped out the room.

“How is he?” Miguel asked her, his concern radiating from every pore.

“He’s a mess Miggy” she told him honestly, and Daniel looked up at the words. She moved quickly grabbing some ice from the freezer and some water to clean him with.

“Do you need any help?” Daniel offered, finding himself strangely concerned for the other man. 

“Not just yet, maybe in a while” Carmen replied, and he nodded before sitting down on the sofa. 

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

When she stepped back into the bedroom Johnny had barely moved an inch- his gaze still focussed on the carpet. She moved quickly, ice pressed against his ribs and his hand placed over it to hold it in place. She carefully moved his arm to rest against his thigh and cleaned the cuts out gently. She moved her attention to the hand itself, looking at the knuckles she sighed.

“This is broken Johnny” she told him as she looked at the bruising and the knuckle displacement.

“Great” he commented, one thing a karate Sensei needed was his hands. 

“It’s going to need setting if you want it to heal right” she added, knowing immediately how he would feel about that. “I am going to check your head Johnny” she told him. He nodded mutely. She parted his matted hair on the back of his head, knowing that she was hurting him but being unable to do anything to stop it. She carefully sponged at his thick blonde hair to clear the blood away. “Is this glass?” she asked him. He nodded mutely, she grabbed her tweezers out of her bag and carefully began picking the glass out of his scalp- dabbing at the blood gently. “And this needs stitches” she told him as she recognised that she wouldn’t be able to close the wound without proper medical intervention. 

“Great” he added, closing his eyes against a sudden wave of exhaustion. She squeezed his shoulder. 

“What happened?” she asked him carefully. 

“I got a visit from a ghost” he told her as he found himself leaning against her. She ran her fingers through his hair as it became clear to her that there was far more to this than she had thought. The fact that he didn’t smell of alcohol also showed that maybe it wasn’t so much the usual behaviour of his that had caused this. 

“I will go and ask Daniel to drive us to the ER” she told him, and he pulled her back.

“No don’t- I will drive myself” he told her.

“Johnny- I know you have this strange thing going on with him- but you need to get fixed” she told him, clear that she wasn’t going to argue about it. She stepped away before he could say anything else.

Daniel looked up as she stepped back into the room.

“Can you give us a ride to the ER?” she asked him, and he got to his feet immediately. 

“You got him to agree to it?” he asked in surprise.

“I just didn’t give him a choice” she stated with a grin. “I’ll get him ready. Miggy- go home and let Yaya know what’s happening” she instructed him, and was surprised when he just got to his feet and did as he was told.

“Is he ok?” Daniel asked as Miguel left the apartment.

“He’s been better” Carmen replied with a grimace and returned to the bedroom to help Johnny get ready. She grabbed a hoody off the hook and draped it over his muscular shoulders, and he offered a weak smile in thanks. He followed her wordlessly out, grateful that LaRusso had clearly gone to wait for them in the car. 

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

The journey to the hospital was almost wordless as Johnny remained lost in thought. The three walked slowly into the ER, matching the pace of the injured man. Daniel texted Amanda as he walked, letting her know where he was so that she didn’t worry. They sat in the waiting room, grateful that it wasn’t too busy. It was less than half an hour before a nurse came to collect him, leaving the two strangers behind in the waiting room.

“Do you know what happened?” Carmen asked.

“No I found him at the Dojo like that. Bin on fire and mirror smashed” Daniel replied. “Didn’t he say anything to you?” he asked, keen to know what had happened to the man that he had known for over thirty years despite their differences. 

“No- he said something about a ghost” she told him with a confused face. Daniel’s brow furrowed in confusion, wondering what the other man could mean. He shook his head to clear his thoughts before taking out his phone seeing that Sam had called him.

“Do you mind if I go and call my wife? Just need to let her know what’s happening” he told her.

“No I’ll wait here” she stated with a smile. She hadn’t been at all sure about her son doing `Karate to start with, hated the idea in fact. And as for his Sensei- she didn’t want him anywhere near Miguel- but as she had got to know Johnny Lawrence more she had realised that he had a good heart and he genuinely cared for her son that was obvious to anyone. He just had some issues that he needed to work through- issues that were probably deep down within him due to how much hurt he had suffered in the past. Somehow she found herself drawn to him, and hated seeing him hurt.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

It was over two hours later before anyone came to them with any news.

“How is he?” Carmen asked the doctor that she vaguely knew from her own work. 

“He has took a battering” the Englishman told her sadly. “Two broken ribs, a broken hand, significant bruising to his face and torso and a concussion” he told her and she winced at the news. “He also has five stitches in the head wound”

“Can he come home?” she asked.

“Usually I would be keeping him here- but your friend is adamant that he is unwilling to do that, he needs to be supervised- concussions are nothing to be messed around with” he told her and she nodded, not at all surprised by his stubborn streak. 

“He can stay with us” Daniel offered immediately, surprising himself with the spontaneous offer. Carmen nearly choked, knowing that there was no way that Johnny would ever agree to that. The doctor nodded, pleased that his patient at least had suitable care in place. 

“Can we see him?” Carmen asked. 

“He is just getting the cast on his hand and his discharge papers drawn up- so maybe thirty minutes?” he explained, and she nodded.

“He is not going to like any of this” she commented once the doctor had left and Daniel couldn’t help but agree with her, and suddenly wonder what he had just agreed to.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

It was nearly an hour later before Johnny came walking out of the treatment area back to meet them. He still looked terrible- his face pale and bruised with pain lines clear around him eyes. His arm was in a sling across his body and his jacket zipped up over the top to protect him from the cool night. In his other arm he grasped a bag of painkillers and antibiotics that the doctor had been insistent he took. He wasn’t stood as straight as usual- showing how much pain his ribs were causing- but he still looked a thousand times better than he had when Daniel had found him unconscious on the floor of his own Dojo. 

“You good?” Daniel asked him softly as he looked over the other man. Johnny hesitated, unused to hearing the care in the other man’s face aimed at him. He nodded, and swallowed back on anything else he could say. “Lets get you home” Daniel offered getting to his feet.

“Where’s Carmen?” Johnny asked as he finally found his voice.

“She has gone to check on Miguel and to get you a few things” Daniel replied and Johnny stopped dead in his tracks.

“What do you mean get me a few things?” he asked in confusion.

“So you can stay at my place- I have a couple off days of work so I can keep an eye on you” Daniel explained.

“No way man- I am going home” Johnny argued, a flash of defiance in his bright blue eyes. 

“Its my place or a hospital bed” Daniel stated with a shrug and Johnny groaned, trapped between a rock and a hard place. 

“I don’t need a babysitter” Johnny grumbled as he followed the smaller man back to the car, before struggling to open the passenger door. Daniel stifled a chuckle.

“No- it doesn’t look like it” he commented with a grin as he moved around the car to help. Johnny groaned again, this was torture, but he was so tired and his head was throbbing despite the doctors giving him the good stuff- he just didn’t have the energy to argue. He simply flopped down into the car and rested his head back- resigning himself to his fate. 

Daniel looked at him in concern, surprised at the lack of fight. He moved around to the other side of the car and caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye. He turned around and saw a shadow leaning against a tree- surrounded by cigarette smoke. He shrugged to himself thinking no more of it- and simply got in the car, knowing that Carmen should have got an Uber to his house by now with some of Johnny’s belongings.

End Chapter Two


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the comments and for reading this!! I hope you are still enjoying it! Please keep commenting so I know I haven't lost you.

Chapter Three

“I don’t think this is a good idea” Johnny stated a few minutes into the journey- his voice was hoarse as he spoke.

“It’s not a good idea for you to pass out alone in your apartment either” Daniel reasoned. Johnny sighed, he was tired- bone weary and he just wanted to fester in his own misery and drink away any memory of seeing Kreese – he wouldn’t be able to do that at the LaRusso’s.

“What about Robby?” he asked, closing his eyes against the street lights that threatened to make his still blurred vision even worse.

“What about him?”

“I don’t want him to feel he can’t come to your place” Johnny replied, shocking himself with his words but knowing that they were true. Daniel looked over in shock, he hadn’t expected a comment like that from Johnny- and if he was honest with himself he would feel the same in Johnny’s shoes. 

“It’s fine Johnny- he isn’t due to train for a couple of days. Besides it may do you some good, give you some time to catch up if he does call in” Daniel stated. Johnny remained silent- Robby was one of his biggest regrets. He had failed him massively- he had made all of the mistakes that had ruined his childhood and repeated them for his own son. He just wanted a chance to redeem himself, but he knew that the chance had to be earned. He stayed silent thinking about the words, before he just nodded- there was nothing else he could really say. 

Before he knew it they were pulling onto the drive of LaRusso’s home, and he was surprised when he looked up and Amanda was opening his door and offering him a hand out. 

“Hey Johnny” she greeted with a smile that he tiredly returned. “Carmen has brought a bag of your things, but she had to get back so she could go to work” she explained as she absorbed his appearance. The man looked a mess. She exchanged a glance with her husband over the roof of the car and she nodded at him in understanding, before the three of them moved into the house. 

“I made up the downstairs bed for you- I didn’t know how the stairs would be on your ribs” she told him as she walked with him to the sofa. He smiled slightly at her, unable to form words to say thank you for this unexpected and probably undeserved kindness that she was aiming at him.   
He sat on the sofa and couldn’t contain the groan that escaped him, he had broken his ribs before and knew that he could expect them to take a good week or so before he had proper mobility back- he winced at the thought before looking down at his arm- encompassed in a plaster cast for the next six weeks and he groaned again. 

“I have made some supper- I figured you wouldn’t have eaten today” she told him and left the two men in the room to go to the kitchen.

“Why are you doing this?” Johnny asked Daniel once she had left. Daniel was surprised by the direct question- it wasn’t usually their forte afterall.

“You needed help. What happened in high school happened in high school- maybe its time we started moving on from it” he explained simply and Johnny nodded, accepting the explanation.

“Thank you” he whispered, too tired to say anything else. Daniel nodded, knowing that would have taken from the other man.

“Now you can’t have any more medication for an hour- and it has to be taken with food anyway so supper is a good call” the smaller man stated to change the subject. 

“I’m not hungry” Johnny replied without opening his eyes. His head was spinning and his stomach was rolling- the thought of food was enough to push him over the edge.

“You need to eat something Johnny, you need pain meds before you go to sleep” Daniel stated gently, not missing the flicker on the other man’s face as he seemed to pale even more. 

“This sucks” Johnny whispered weakly, and Daniel couldn’t help the smile that escaped him, Johnny Lawrence had always been strong and powerful so it was strange seeing him so broken and injured- but he couldn’t help the slight pleasure that it brought him knowing that the other man had trusted him enough to let his guard down in front of him.

“I know man, Amanda has just done some soup and bread- nothing too heavy” he told him, hoping it would help to settled his friend clearly unhappy stomach. Johnny nodded, knowing that if he wanted any relief at all from the pain he was in he would have to at least try to eat. Just as Daniel spoke Amanda arrived carrying a tray with a bowl of steaming soup and when Johnny was sat up enough she placed it across his lap.

“Thank you” he said as he looked at the dish with apprehension clear on his face. 

“Daniel, can you give me a hand in the kitchen?” Amanda asked, and Daniel looked round in surprise, although her expression left no room for argument. He got to his feet and followed her.

“What do you need?” he asked softly.

“Nothing, but Johnny is feeling lousy enough without us sitting there watching him attempt to eat” she told him and he nodded as realisation dawned. “Besides time for you to fill me in on what the hell happened to him” she stated as she poured them both a coffee. 

“I have no idea- I literally found him at Cobra Kai like it” Daniel stated with a sigh. “Since we seem to have some sort of a truce going on I didn’t want to push it” he added with a bit of a shrug and Amanda was instantly proud of her husband. She knew how deep the history between the two men ran and how hard it must have been for them Daniel to offer the help the other man that he clearly needed- not to mention how much it must have taken for Johnny to accept it from Daniel. 

“You did the right thing” she told him. “Do you think he’ll be ok?” she asked, she knew that they had been high school enemies but she found Johnny strangely endearing and couldn’t help the concern that she felt for him.

“He’s pretty banged up, but I also know how stubborn he is” Daniel answered with a grin. Amanda snorted at the comment, but decided against commenting- electing to go and check on the patient instead. 

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Johnny looked up as Amanda walked back in, he had managed to force down half a bowl of the soup before he had to concede defeat or risk seeing it coming back up and he knew his ribs would not cope with that.

“You done?” she asked him gently. He nodded as she walked over to take the bowl.

“Thank you” he stated, not making eye contact. He had absolutely no idea how to react to the level of care he was getting- it had been thirty years since he had any show any concern for him like this, and probably longer than that since he had been cared for when he was injured or ill.

“Would you like a cup of tea or a coffee? We just brewed a fresh pot” she told him with a smile.

“Can I just get some water?” he asked, he wanted a scotch or at least a Banquet- but he knew that was unlikely to be on offer with the meds. She nodded and took the tray away within seconds Daniel was back and handing him the pills along with a glass of water. He nodded his thanks and swallowed them down gratefully.

“You want to watch the game? It starts in ten” Daniel asked as he checked his watch.

“Sure” Johnny agreed, knowing that there would be no chance of him getting to sleep yet. Daniel grinned and flicked the TV on before sitting down. The two men sat in silence as the game started, Johnny barely even knew who was playing. His thoughts swirled around in his head. What was Kreese doing back? Why the hell would he fake his own death? What did he want with Johnny? He sighed as the questions just kept mounting in his muddled brain.

“Hey you ok?” Daniel asked him in concern as he heard the sigh.

“Yeah sorry” Johnny replied, shaking his battered head slightly to clear his thoughts. 

“I am gonna get a drink and some snacks- do you want anything?” Daniel asked, noticing the man’s distraction. 

“Don’t suppose you have a beer?” Johnny asked in hope. Daniel grimaced, not sure it was the best idea, but then one look at the other man’s face and maybe it was the medicine he needed. 

“Sure- not Coors though” Daniel stated and Johnny looked up in surprise. He shrugged, he was anything but fussy- especially at that moment in time. Within a minute he had a cold glass of beer in his one working hand and instantly felt more relaxed. Daniel smiled, sensing that his judgement had been right. “The mets are kicking ass this year” he commented, and Johnny snorted. 

“You would think that” he stated, he genuinely had no idea, he showed a passing interest at best but that was no way he was going to let LaRusso know that. Just like that the two men sat back and relaxed, talking about nothing but getting along for a sustained period of time for the first time in thirty-five years.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

At half time Daniel got to his feet to get mores drinks and smiled as he caught sight of the other man. At some time Johnny had fallen asleep and now sat with his head resting against the back of the sofa and his eyes shut. His beer was still clutched in his hand- barely touched. Daniel carefully grabbed his ankles and swung his legs onto the sofa, reaching behind him and pulling the blanket from the back of sofa and carefully draped it over the sleeping man.   
He shook his head to himself, who would have ever thought that he would find himself looking after Johnny Lawrence in his house. He sighed, he couldn’t help the urge that was forcing him to care for his former nemesis- but yet somehow he was more shocked by Johnny’s acceptance of it.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Johnny blinked slowly awake, he sat up as he finally awoke, forgetting his concussion and his broken ribs, he doubled over and groaned. He. Bit on his lip to avoid crying out, and looked around his surroundings, registering that he was in the home of Daniel LaRusso- he sighed as he rubbed his hands over his face- the stark white of the plaster cast encompassing his hand almost blinding him. 

He was aching, he was in pain- but he did feel better for the solid sleep he had. He had no idea if it had been induced by the pain killers, or just due to sheer exhaustion, but he did feel better. Once he had woken up enough he carefully got to his feet- noticing that he was still dressed he realised he must have fallen asleep on the sofa, and been tucked in by one of the LaRusso’s. Somehow that was more painful than his ribs.

He moved slowly towards the kitchen, assuming that was where his medication had been put the night before and nearly walked straight into Amanda LaRusso.

“Good morning Johnny” she greeted him with a smile, pouring him a steaming mug of coffee as she spoke. He accepted it with his good hand.

“Thank you” he said softly. Amanda looked him over, the bruising had come out on his face- and he still looked pale, but he didn’t look quite as bad as he had the evening before.

“Daniel usually makes breakfast, but I have prepared some eggs so you can take your meds” she told him, and he found himself overwhelmed by her kindness. He nodded, having no clue what to say in this scenario. He walked across to the doors and looked out, smiling to himself as he thought of the almost fight right by the swimming pool. “Do you need anything else?” Amanda asked, snatching him back from his reverie, he shook his head and moved back into the kitchen. Amanda placed a plate of eggs and toast in front of him before moving to the cupboard and grabbing the ketchup for him. He grinned in response, remembering the last time she had made him come in for breakfast.

He looked up as Daniel joined them.

“How you doing?” Daniel asked him, looking him over.

“I’m good” Johnny replied, putting some salt on his eggs before eating a few forkfuls. Once he was sure that it would stay down he ate with more enthusiasm. When he was finished, he reached for his pills and swallowed them dry. Daniel sat down beside him, sipping at his own coffee. 

“So you going to share what happened?” Daniel asked, choosing to be direct, and he saw Johnny flinch at the words. “Seriously man, if you are in trouble we can help” Daniel added, not wanting to undo all of the ground they had made up over the last 24hrs.

“I’m not in trouble LaRusso” Johnny replied with a sigh, suddenly feeling tired as everything came back to him. 

“Well something is going on- whatever happened yesterday, that was serious Johnny” Daniel stated, hoping his concern was carried in his voice. Johnny nodded, he knew that, he had the broken bones and the dizzy head to prove it. 

“Do you think you could give me a ride home?” he asked after a few minutes, needing to get back in his home turf. 

“You sure?” Daniel asked, and Johnny nodded. The smaller man sighed before getting to his feet and grabbing his keys. “I think you should come back here tonight though” Daniel added, and Johnny rubbed his eyes and ignored the comment. The two men walked out in silence before getting into the Audi. Daniel started the ignition but before he reversed off the drive way he was shocked into stopping by one sentence uttered by the other man.

“It was John Kreese” Johnny stated, his voice strained and carrying nearly forty years worth of pain. 

End Chapter Three


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the comments and Kudos!  
> If you haven't already gathered I am English so may make some errors withe the Americanisms but I am trying my best!!
> 
> Please keep reading :-)

Chapter Four

“You said he was dead” Daniel finally replied, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel. 

“Imagine my surprise when he appeared in my Dojo” Johnny stated drily.

“You should go to the cops” Daniel told him, looking him in the eye for the first time. 

“No way” Johnny argued, a hint of steel in his voice. 

“What does he want?” Daniel asked, deciding to choose his arguments since it was clearly apparent that Johnny wanted nothing to do with his old Sensei.

“Who knows? Me, the Dojo – Cobra Kai” Johnny stated, “he’s not getting any of it” he added, suddenly exhausted. Daniel noticed the sudden pallor of the other man and the pain lines forming around his eyes, and started driving. Daniel had to admit he was fairly surprised that Kreese had got the drop on Johnny. Johnny was twenty years younger and clearly in excellent shape. He was strong, and Daniel knew he was also still fast, he wondered what had happened there.

“I can’t believe it” he muttered to himself. Johnny snorted, he hadn’t exactly been skipping about it either. The two men fell into silence, Daniel finally adjusting the stereo to relieve any tension. Within a few minutes the two were lightly tapping their fingers along to the music and exchanged a small grin. They had far more in common than their high school selves had ever realised- whether they wanted to admit it now or not. 

“Can we go to the Dojo?” Johnny asked softly, taking Daniel by surprise.

“Sure whatever you need” he replied, indicating to change lanes and within minutes the two of them were outside Cobra Kai. Daniel couldn’t help the shudder that ran through him every time he saw that logo. 

Johnny got out of the car, moving more freely than he had the previous day and managed to get his keys from his pocket. He opened up the doors and winced at the mess that had been created. 

“It’s nothing that won’t fix” Daniel attempted to sooth him.

“Let’s hope so” Johnny muttered, and they both knew he wasn’t just talking about the mess. “Thanks for the ride” he stated heading into the office slowly, assuming that the other man would take the que to leave. He walked directly to the fridge and took out a cold beer, twisting the cap off with his good hand before slumping down in the desk chair.

“Where’s your brush?” Daniel asked him as he stepped into the doorway and rolled his sleeves up. Johnny looked at him in surprise before pointing behind the door. Daniel nodded and reached for it, silently heading back to the mats and carefully cleaning up the glass. Johnny sighed as he watched him, he went to the filing cabinet and grabbed the bin liners before taking them into the Dojo, feeling useless with his broken hand and ribs and knowing there was little he could do to help. He flicked open a bag and stood close to LaRusso, silently the two men tidied and cleaned, until the only sign of the disturbance left was the gap where the mirror had been. 

Failing at tying a knot in the bag one handed he dropped it and headed back into his office, emerging with two beers and handing one to Daniel in silence. They sat cross legged on the mats drinking.

“Is this the longest we have ever managed without arguing?” Daniel asked after a while and Johnny snorted at the comment.

“Must be” he finally replied. “Thanks for the help” he added, glad that the Dojo looked more presentable. Before Daniel could reply the door opening interrupted them, and Johnny couldn’t help the groan that escaped him. He struggled to his feet as quickly as his battered body would allow, Daniel turned around and noticed a number of students congregating by the door.

“Sensei Lawrence- you ok?” Aisha asked, her face registering her alarm as she saw him.

“I’m good Miss Robinson. There is no class tonight” he told them, and he was surprised when he saw glances of concern exchanged between his students, rather than the frustration they usually showed at his late cancellations. They nodded and most of them just turned and left with a wave. Aisha and Miguel stayed behind, clearly wanting to check on the welfare of their mentor.

“Mom said you went to the hospital- are you ok?” Miguel asked softly.

“I’m fine Diaz, your Mom did a good job of making sure of that” Johnny replied, patting the young man on the shoulder with his only working hand. 

“What happened?” Aisha asked, looking around and seeing the missing mirror.

“Nothing for you guys to worry about” the Sensei replied with what he hoped was a reassuring grin. Kreese had ruined his childhood, made him do things that he shouldn’t do, tortured him, manipulated him and harmed him in ways he would never be able to vocalise- there was no way in hell he was going to let that man anywhere near these kids.

“Do you need any help clearing up?” Miguel offered, something in his tone making it obvious that he just didn’t want to leave his sensei just yet. 

“Na Mr LaRusso here did a pretty good job giving me a hand” Johnny stated with a slight nod to the smaller man and his words caught Daniel by surprise. Miguel’s eyebrows shot up at the comment, and the sincerity behind it. He knew how deeply the issues ran between the two former Karate rivals, knew how much hurt it had brought his mentor- so he couldn’t help the shock that the scene in front of him brought. 

“Oh, ok” he stuttered, finding himself lost for words and Johnny couldn’t help the grin, the first one to reach his eyes since Kreese had reappeared. 

“Thanks though Diaz, and thanks for helping me out last night” he added, grateful for the friendship he had with the teenager. Miguel shrugged, pleased that he had helped even though he had felt useless.

“How long are you out of action for?” he asked gesturing at the plaster cast and sling. Johnny groaned at the reminder.

“Few weeks, and then it will be good as new” Johnny told him, Daniel chose not to correct him sensing that he was trying to reassure his students. Miguel nodded, looking his mentor over and seeing all the injuries even he knew enough to doubt the words but he didn’t challenge it. 

“Mom wants to know if you want to come over for dinner tomorrow night?” he asked as he slung his bag back over his shoulder. Johnny thought about it, his natural reflex was to turn down the kind invitation, but there was something about the look in Miguel’s eyes that made him fight against himself.

“Sure that would be great” he finally answered with a gentle smile. “Now you two get out of here- I’ll see you tomorrow” he told them, his tone light. They both returned the smile and stepped back into the doorway waving over their shoulders as they left. As soon as the door shut behind them he sagged, the effort at staying upright and not showing the pain it caused him was exhausting. Daniel got to his feet and helped the other man down to the mats.

“Few weeks and you’ll be good as new huh?” Daniel asked with a soft smile. Johnny groaned as he covered his eyes with his forearm, laying back flat on the floor. Daniel left him for a few minutes to gather himself back together. He had seen a different side to Johnny over the last 24hrs- sure he was still an asshole when it suited him, but the way he had interacted with those kids had carried an air of care to it, a gentleness that he would never have believed the Cobra would possess. 

After a few moments, he tapped the other man on the arm.

“Come on Johnny” he said gently, and he pulled himself up to a seated position. “Lets get back, its burgers for dinner” he told him and Johnny laughed in surprise. It felt strange to not be fighting with the other man, it was all that they had ever done after all. He eventually nodded and got to his feet, determined to manage it by himself, and equally stubbornly ignoring the wave of dizziness that it brought him as his concussion made itself known. He closed his eyes whilst he regained his bearings. Surprised, but also completely unsurprised to feel the steadying hand on his bicep. He moved wordlessly only stopping to lock up the Dojo before he got into Daniel’s car with no further prompting required. 

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

“Hi guys- I have lit the grill Daniel” Amanda greeted them, a gentle kiss on the cheek for each of them, Johnny rooted to the spot in shock at the action. The attractive woman chuckled at his reaction, squeezing his arm and leading him out into the garden. He sat down where she told him, and literally fell slightly in love with her when she handed him a bottle of cold beer with a wink.

“Thank you” he said as he took a small sip. She laughed and poured herself a glass of wine as she sat down opposite her. 

“The salad and potatoes are my limit” she told him and he smiled back, she was the kind of personality that you couldn’t help but instantly like. “Sam should be back soon- just to warn you, she may be bringing Robby” she added, knowing that the relationship was rocky to say the least.

“Has he been given the same warning?” Johnny asked as he sipped at his beer.

“He knows you are here Johnny, and he knows you’re hurt- so if he comes I’d say it’s a sign he wants to see you” she told him.

“And if he doesn’t?” Johnny asked softly and they both already knew the answer. Amanda was saved from answering by the arrival of Daniel- carrying a plate of burgers that he had made earlier. Johnny quirked an eyebrow at the image- he shouldn’t be surprised that LaRusso even cooks burgers with drama and flare. He took a sip of his beer and wondered how he had even found himself here, and what the hell he was going to do from here. 

Amanda and Daniel exchanged a glance as Johnny seemed to suddenly be lost in his own thoughts, neither sure where his mind currently was or what he was dwelling on. Fortunately the arrival of Sam and Robby pulled him from his reverie, although if it was possible he seemed to go even quieter. 

“Hey” he greeted, his tone conveying his nervousness.

“Hi Dad” Robby returned as he glanced over the battered figure of his father and winced. His own arm currently in a sling due to the tournament he felt his father’s pain. Johnny made eye contact with his son and tried to send him a message of a thousand apologies and a million sentiments of love- but he knew it would take more than that. 

“How’s the shoulder?” he asked.

“Better than your hand by the looks of it” the teenager replied with a wince, and Johnny couldn’t help the grin that escaped him- it was exactly the sort of thing that he would say.

“Fair point” he responded with a grin, pleased beyond measure when his son sat down beside him. Amanda couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her.

“Talk about family resemblance” she stated as she looked at the two with their arms in matching slings. Johnny rolled his eyes and Robby chuckled at the comment. 

“Least we have something in common” the teen stated, his eyes reaching those of his father which suddenly turned sad. Johnny nodded, unwilling to say anything that could lead to yet another fight between them. Robby offered him a light grin, trying to show he had meant no harm in his words.

“Hey I have done burgers especially for those of you that only have one hand to work with so no complaints tonight” Daniel told them with a grin to change the subject. He placed a basket of bread on the table and moved back to the grill to flip the meat, the smell suddenly enticing them all. 

Sam and Robby sat chattering in a teenage language that Johnny didn’t pretend to understand, he allowed the talk to wash over him, enjoying being in his son’s company and as yet no harsh words exchanged between them. He knew his failings, of which there were many. But none of his actions were deliberate or aimed to hurt even if that had been the outcome, he had been young and foolish and by the time he had realised that it had been too late to go back. He looked up as the plate of burgers was placed on the table, and watched as his son reached for one, clearly comfortable in the company that surrounded him and he couldn’t describe his feelings- he was happy that his son clearly had people to look after him and who he could go to when he needed help, but he also had an overwhelming sense of grief that it wasn’t him.

End Chapter Four


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with this guys- please let me know you are still reading?

Chapter Five

The rest of the meal passed without incident, Johnny found himself enjoying watching his son interact with Sam- despite his upbringing he had seemed polite and well adjusted- and Johnny deserved no credit for that. The two youngsters had left- Sam giving Robby a ride home in her little convertible. He shook his head to himself as he thought of the differences in their lives. He looked up as Daniel approached and sat down beside him, handing him another beer. 

“Thanks” he greeted as he accepted it gratefully. 

“So how did Kreese get the drop on you?” Daniel asked, and Johnny nearly choked on his beer at the directness of the question. The blonde swallowed down the sense of nausea that came over him at the words, and Daniel almost regretted asking the question. A moment passed and neither man had the words to say, before finally Johnny seemed to drift off into the past, his voice broken and far away when he eventually spoke.

“Kreese always had this sort of power over me” he stated, his eyes glazed and his voice more broken than Daniel had ever heard it. “Always knows the exact words to say or the exact thing to do to make me do anything and everything he wanted” Johnny stated, taking a sip of his beer and surprised to see his hand shaking. Daniel was taken aback he had no idea that was the dynamic, looking back he realised he shouldn’t really have been surprised. There was no such thing as a bad student after all. 

“Why did you never leave?” Daniel asked him, keeping his own voice soft, wanting to keep Johnny talking, needing to understand their shared past. 

“I did after the tournament. Before that I just never realised” he admitted, still not looking at LaRusso as he spoke. “Cobra Kai was all I had- the boys were the only family I had ever known since my Mom married Syd” he told him, and his voice carried so much sadness that Daniel could feel his heart breaking in his chest. He wished he had known all of this thirty years ago- maybe the two of them would have gotten along. He almost laughed to himself, in reality it would have been unlikely- they were both carrying their own baggage and dealing with it in their own way but there would always have been one thing in the way- Allie. 

“I didn’t know about Syd- I always assumed you were a spoilt little rich kid with anything you wanted” Daniel stated and Johnny laughed- but there was no humour to it.

“Everybody did- only Bobby really knew” he told him, shaking his head at the memories. “He let me stay at his place when it got too bad” he added. Daniel scrunched up his brow at the comment- that one statement hinted at more than just discontent, that suggested a different type of hurt. Before he could ask, or query any further Johnny was carefully getting to his feet. “I am done in man, mind if I turn in?” Johnny asked with a rare display of manners. Daniel shook his head and gestured for him to go ahead.

“Night Johnny” he added as the larger man walked away. Johnny waved over his shoulder with his good hand and just kept walking. 

Daniel found himself thinking over the conversation the two men had shared, it explained a lot. Johnny needed Cobra Kai more than he had realised- not the physical walls or the badges- but the sense of belonging. The fact that through his childhood it had been the only thing to bring him friends, the only place that he called home suddenly explained why he had called his new Dojo the same name. It wasn’t the ‘no mercy’ branding that wasn’t what it truly meant to Johnny Lawrence- that was clear now, it was the difference it had brought to his life and he could now bring to the life of others. 

Daniel just wished he had actually listened to the other man earlier- heard the words that he had said at the Committee meeting, rather than allowing past bitterness and rivalry to rule his head. He remembered his comments about nice houses and winced, he had been opening up to him then and he hadn’t grasped it, too distracted by their silly feud.   
He rubbed his hands over his face and finished his bottle of beer, before getting to his feet and heading to bed himself, he had to make things right- he owed that to the kids if nothing else.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Johnny laid down on the bed, his forearm covering his eyes. His emotions were stirring, and his stomach was churning as emotions he tried his hardest to keep buried were dragged back up. 

He knew he wasn’t the Johnny he had been in high school, but maybe flashes of him still came to the surface. He swallowed as he tried to stop the nausea from coming to the surface, flashing of Kreese and of Syd took over his mind as the memories assaulted his brain, he sat up and dug the heel of his hand into his forehead- desperate to push them away. He stood up, pacing the room, his fist clenching and unable to stop it. He needed to move, needed to do something, anything to fight these feelings away.   
Before he could stop himself he was out of the room and out of the front door, his legs carrying him before his brain could even process it. Needed to get away, to move- it was better than punching out and letting his aggression overrule all his other senses. 

He didn’t know where he was heading, barely registered the dark of the night as he walked letting the cool air hit his face. He had no concept of how long he walked for, but he looked up as he felt the soft feeling of sand under his feet. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply- enjoying the smell of the ocean and the sounds of the gently rolling waves. He had always found the beach calming, and finally he felt his breath settling and his heart rate slowing. He moved onto the sand and sat down, his gaze looking out across the sea. He had no idea how his past could still hurt him so much, how just the mention of his ghosts could still cause fear to gather in his chest.

He was a grown man, a fighter- he always had been, but Kreese and Syd were the only two people on earth that could make him feel this way and he despised it. Hated the power that they still had over him after all this time. He placed his hand on the sand and allowed it to run through his fingers. How could he move on from this? His first instinct was to go to the store and get a six pack, but it would just make it even worse the next day. He needed to think, needed to find a long term solution. He sighed to himself as he thought this through.

He needed to take small steps- and the first one was to get rid of Kreese- he didn’t know what the older man wanted but whatever it was he knew it would be nothing good. He couldn’t let him get his claws into the kids, couldn’t allow the man back into his life. 

He got to his feet, finally feeling calmer as the stirring of emotions were pushed back down. He dusted himself off carefully and began his slow walk back, looking up and seeing the sun rising in the sky- he had obviously been out far longer than he realised. He shook his head, but set off back to LaRusso’s house, knowing that he at least needed a shower before he headed home. 

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Daniel was surprised to find the guest room door open as he got up and headed to the kitchen. He peered round the door- the bed had clearly not been slept on, and Johnny was no where to be seen. He sighed, his stomach dropping as the unfamiliar feeling of concern settled in. He had known the other man had been upset after their conversation the previous evening- maybe he shouldn’t have pushed? 

Where could Johnny have gone? He didn’t have his car and his wallet was still on the bedside table along with his phone- surely he wouldn’t do anything silly? Daniel was torn out of his thoughts by the front door being quietly opened and a dishevelled, but in one piece, Johnny stepping back through it. 

“Hey” he greeted, his voice croaky as the night caught up with him. Daniel looked him over, he looked pale and drawn, but safe and surprisingly sober.

“You good?” he asked carefully.

“Yeh, just needed a walk” Johnny replied. In reality he had needed to punch the hell out of something. Or drown in alcohol, but neither of them had been immediate options so the walk had to suffice. It had soothed him, had managed to calm the stir of emotions enough that he could regain control so at least that was something. Daniel nodded.

“I am making my infamous Bananarama pancakes for breakfast” Daniel told him, knowing not to push his somehow new friend into revealing where he had been or why. Johnny snorted at the words. 

“I am gonna grab a shower” he told him and moved away with no further comment. Within minutes he was under the hot spray of water- soothing his aching muscles, and assisting in clearing his head. He needed to go home, needed to get back to work. He winced as he thought of it, his hand still covered in the plaster cast and his ribs covered in purple bruising. He would just have to improvise- he couldn’t afford to stay shut. He stepped out of the shower and dried himself off, pulling on some clean shorts and a loose shirt he rubbed his hand through his damp hair and then turned to go to the kitchen. He accepted the cup of coffee he was handed with a smile of thanks. 

He looked around the kitchen, absorbing the family scene, he couldn’t help the slight stir of jealousy that ran through him. He hadn’t had that for years, couldn’t remember the last time he had truly had a home and a family to speak of- but what made it worse was that he had nobody to blame for it but himself. 

He sat down and looked at the banana pancake on his plate, he couldn’t deny that LaRusso appeared to be a good father- making the time for his children, and creating this safe and loving home for his family. 

“They are Sam’s favourite” Daniel told him with a shrug. Johnny nodded, he should have known. He could see why though- other than being incredibly sweet they were really tasty. He ate one and declined the offer of another portion, and sat back drinking his coffee.

“Would you be able to drop me home on your way to work?” he asked after a while.

“Sure- but you’re welcome to hang out here” Daniel offered effortlessly. 

“Thanks man, but I need to get back to reality” Johnny replied, and Daniel couldn’t help the hit of sadness that ran through him. He realised he was actually going to miss having the other man around, had enjoyed getting to know more about him over the last couple of days- despite the circumstances. 

“Sure I can drop you” Daniel agreed with a smile, hoping that it didn’t mean Kreese would be back in the picture. He sat down to his own breakfast, and the two fell into a comfortable silence- something they had never achieved before in more than thirty years.

End Chapter Five


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with it- don't worry there will be more action coming soon I promise!!

Chapter Six

Johnny sighed as he finally sat down in his armchair. It wasn’t much but it had been his home for the last ten years and it served his purpose. He had managed to thumb out a text to Miguel asking him to pass on the message that class was back on that day, he just wasn’t fully sure how he was going to manage it. He wiggled his fingers underneath the cast and winced as it pulled on the damaged bone and flesh. 

He got to his feet, he needed to get a new mirror for the Dojo- get the place fixed and ready for class, he shook his head to himself and pulled his sling from over his head, grabbing his keys and wallet he headed out- he left his apartment, blinking in the sunshine and headed to his car.

“Please don’t tell me you intend on driving?” a gentle voice spoke from behind him and he whirled round to find Carmen watching him. 

“Well I am not getting the bus” he stated with a smile. 

“Where do you need to be?” she asked him, her eyes looking him up and down and not liking what she saw. The man was naturally dishevelled, but now he looked tired as well as bruised. 

“Hardware store- need to fix the Dojo” he told her, and was surprised when she held her hand out and clicked her fingers.

“I’ll drive” she stated and he quirked his eyebrow. “Your choice, either I take the keys to stop you driving with one hand- or I drive you and you get what you need” she reasoned, and he sighed knowing that he struggled to argue with her.

“Fine” he merely stated, and she grinned as she moved around the car and got in. He eased himself into the passenger seat with a groan, he hadn’t taken any pain killers that morning and his ribs were starting to remind him. 

“You good?” she asked him in concern. 

“I’m fine” he replied, although his tight lips betrayed the words. She sighed and shook her head- used to dealing with stubborn men at work it was no surprise to her. She drove smoothly to the store, and within twenty minutes they had the glass and were outside the Dojo. She had never seen the place her son trained at, and she wasn’t sure what she had expected. 

“No mercy?” she asked with a quirked eyebrow, suddenly things clicking into place. Johnny shrugged, not really having the words to explain the moto that adorned the walls. Maybe he shouldn’t have brought some elements of Cobra Kai back, but somehow it still seemed right. 

“Miggy is on his way to help” she told him as he struggled to align the mirror one handed. He nodded, surprised that she had thought to arrange them more help, but grateful. “He adores you, you know that right?” she asked him as he placed the glass back on the floor to await the help.

“He is a good kid” Johnny replied.

“He is- and he looks up to you, even worries about you” she added.

“I won’t let him down” Johnny told her- his blue eyes locked on hers as he said the most heartfelt words he had spoken for an eternity. She returned the gaze, seeing the swirl of emotions, and the sincerity that they held. She knew that deep down Johnny was a decent man, clearly trying his hardest to do the right thing in life- but he was also broken, a lifetime of hurt making every day a battle for him, and somehow it hurt her to think of that side of him. 

“I know you will try not to” she finally replied, squeezing his bicep as she spoke. They both looked up as the door opened and Miguel arrived.

“Hey Sensei” he greeted with a big grin, relieved to see his mentor looking better than the last time he had seen him. 

“Hey, thanks for coming” Johnny stated, and noticed the grin widen at the gratitude. The two worked quickly and neatly and managed to get the glass in place and the shelves back neatly on the wall with plenty of time to spare. Johnny had to admit he was exhausted by the time they were finished, the stress and lack of sleep catching up with him. 

“You boys should get some food before the class starts” Carmen told them, noticing that Johnny appeared to be waning, his energy finally running out. 

“Na I’m good- I am just going to sort some papers” Johnny told her. “You take the car home though” he told her with a smile. She sighed, she would rather that he have something to eat- she knew that self care wasn’t one of his priorities at the best of times. 

“Fine- but you are coming to ours for dinner afterwards, I have made some chilli” she told him with a grin. 

“You don’t have to do that” Johnny argued, his voice soft, he wasn’t used to all of this kindness and having people that seemed to actually care. 

“I know- see you at nine” she told him as she left. Johnny turned to Miguel and reached into his pocket- taking out a ten dollar bill.

“Get yourself something to eat, I can’t have you passing out like a pussy” he stated, heading into his office. Miguel grinned before nodding and heading out- Johnny headed into the office. He sat down and rested his head back. He was tired, his body weary and aching- but they had got done what he needed to do. He wasn’t going to let Kreese win- not even the small battles. He opened a bottle of water and tapped out two pain pills, he knew that if he was going to make it through the class he would need to keep the pain in check. He sat back and closed his eyes, waiting for them to kick in before he even spared the energy to think of how he was going to run the class in his current state.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Miguel was surprised to see no immediate sign of his Sensei when he returned to the Dojo an hour later. He toed off his shoes and headed across the mats to the office, smiling to himself at the sight of Johnny sound asleep where he sat in his chair, head resting back. He glanced at his watch and decided to leave him to get some rest. He moved quietly through the Dojo, he stacked up the pads and moved out the target pads. When he had prepared as much as he could he went and got changed ready for class. Knowing that he had left it as long as he possibly could, he moved back into the office and saw that Johnny was still asleep where he sat. 

Miguel smiled to himself, tempted to almost let the man sleep and just run the class through drills himself, but he knew Johnny would be mad if he did that. He sighed and stepped forward, reaching out and gently shaking the sleeping man’s shoulder- a second later he found himself on the floor with his Sensei looming over him.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Daniel was distracted, he knew it and Amanda knew it. His sales figures also showed it.

“Why don’t you call him?” Amanda queried as she handed her husband his lunch.

“Huh?”

“Johnny- why don’t you call him? You are clearly worried so give him a call?” she suggested with a smile. He rolled his eyes.

“I’m not worried and I don’t need to call him- he’s a grown man”

“He’s also clearly going through a lot and you obviously feel guilty about judging him without knowing what he was going through in high school, so call him” she stated with a wry smile and Daniel choked on his sub at the summing up his perceptive wife had just accurately made.

“I don’t feel guilty…. well not exactly. Johnny was still an asshole, just maybe he had more reason to be one than I realised and maybe I should have found that out before antagonising him a bit” Daniel admitted with a shrug. “But he was an asshole- still is half the time” he added with a grin. Amanda smiled, proud of her husband for admitting his own shortcomings and for being man enough to change his opinion that had been set in stone for three decades. “I’ll text him” he conceded and Amanda walked away, loving to be proved right- again.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

“Shit” Johnny gasped as he doubled over, his ribs on fire for some reason. He blinked suddenly awake and registering that he was upright. “Shit Diaz” he exclaimed again as he noticed his favourite student on the floor where he had clearly put him. “Diaz, shit- I’m sorry, did I hurt you?” he asked, horrified that he had clearly somehow sent the teenager flying.

“I’m fine Sensei” Miguel replied getting himself to his feet and looking at the older man carefully. “Are you ok?” he asked gently. Johnny stepped back and leant against the desk.

“I’m fine Diaz- don’t worry. What did I do?” he asked dreading the answer and not making eye contact.

“It was my fault- I woke you up” Miguel replied. “I let you sleep as long as I could, but then thought you would kick my ass if I didn’t wake you before class. I shook your shoulder to wake you- and then…..” Miguel added gesturing to the floor to show where he had ended up. 

“I’m sorry man” Johnny told him, his blue eyes finally meeting those of the teen. Miguel smiled, more worried for his friend than he was bothered about hitting the floor.

“I told you I’m fine” he replied. “Class starts in five minutes” he added. Johnny nodded an turned to his bag to take out his Gi, getting changed in minutes, although the belt proving more of a challenge to tie with just one hand. Miguel walked back in to find the man weighing up how to do it.

“Need a hand?” he offered.

“Funny” Johnny commented, but held it out to the younger man anyway who tied it around his Sensei’s waist effortlessly. “You good to help with the demos?” he asked, and Miguel nodded instantly- just grateful that training was on. A second later and the student left to join the others on the mats. 

Johnny sat back, he could have hurt Miguel. The one person that truly believed in him, truly cared despite all his flaws and he could have hurt him. Just hours after he had promised his mother that he wouldn’t let him down and he had.

It had been a long time since he had experienced the nightmares, the flashbacks to his past that still made his stomach churn and the fear surface, and Miguel had interrupted that. Only in his sleep fuddled mind it hadn’t been Miguel- it had been Kreese the demons of his past that would never fully leave him alone. He took a swig of water, and rubbed his hand over his face- he needed to get into Sensei mode, no time to dwell now when he had a class to teach. 

He moved into the Dojo, hands by his side and bowing at the waist, satisfied when the rest of the students followed his movement and proud that he managed to stifled the groan that the action brought to his lips. 

The class ran smoothly with Miguel assisting with any of the demos he couldn’t manage, at least it wasn’t preventing him from running his business if nothing else. 

As the class ended he headed into the office, finally opening himself a beer as he sat to update his record of who had attended. 

“Are you ok Sensei?” Miguel asked joining him, a look of concern on his young face.

“I’m fine Diaz” Johnny replied without looking up. 

“I’ll wait for you outside?” Diaz suggested.

“What for?” Johnny asked as he took a sip out of his beer. 

“My Mom- dinner remember?” Diaz prompted. Johnny groaned, he had completely forgotten. 

“Can you tell her I have stuff to do?” Johnny asked, knowing Carmen wouldn’t like it. 

“You know she will come and get you” Diaz warned with a grin, but shrugged and set off. Johnny sat back, he knew Miguel was right- but he wasn’t going to be home just yet anyway. He updated his records, fumbled his way round loosening his belt and then reached for another beer. 

He had half expected Kreese to appear, he had been unable to relax until the lesson had been safely over.   
What was the old man up to?   
He got to his feet and got changed, he was tired and he was hungry- but he didn’t feel like socialising. He grabbed his bag and headed out making sure to lock up behind him he started the walk back to his apartment, knowing that he could stop and grab a burger on the way. Ten minutes later he was sat in a diner eating greasy food and soda. He ate slowly, making sure his stomach wouldn’t betray him and then he finished his walk home- heading straight in and after a quick shower he fell into an exhausted slumber on his cheap mattress. 

End Chapter Six


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

“Will you just call him already?” Amanda stated as Daniel checked his phone for what seemed like the tenth time in the last hour. 

“He’s probably busy” Daniel stated with a sigh, he couldn’t help it- he just had a bad feeling that something wasn’t quite right with Johnny and he couldn’t shift it. “You didn’t see his face when we were talking about Kreese” he said with a sigh. “He was broken- I just wish I had known all those years ago” Daniel stated his voice tinged with regret. 

“Then go check on him- you are clearly not going to rest until you know he’s ok?” Amanda continued pouring herself a glass of wine. Daniel smiled- he had won the lottery the day he met his wife, and he would never forget how lucky he was. 

“Thank you” he said, getting to his feet and getting his keys- he kissed her gently and headed out. He had no idea when he had started to consider Johnny Lawrence a friend, however he knew that he did- he would just never admit it to anyone else. 

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Daniel knocked on the door- sighing when no reply came.

“Mr LaRusso” a voice called from behind. “My Mom checked on Sensei an hour ago- he was sleeping” Miguel told him. Daniel nodded and stepped back from the door. “You wanna come in?” the teenager offered.

“Sure” Daniel agreed and headed to the other apartment. 

“Hey Daniel” Carmen greeted with a smile. “You come to check on Johnny?” she asked guessing correctly.

“Yeah, but I guess I came too late” he stated.

“I think he wants to be alone. He was supposed to eat with us after class earlier- but he blew us out too” she told him with a sigh. “Maybe he wasn’t feeling so good- you think we should wake him up?” she asked, suddenly wondering if leaving him to sleep had been a good idea. 

“He had a rough night last night” Daniel stated with a wince. “We kinda talked about some stuff- I think it dredged up some memories that he wished it hadn’t” he added. 

“Why is he so sad?” Carmen asked- her question taking Daniel by surprise. Now that he thought about it she was making a valid observation. There was an air of sadness to Johnny, through the booze and the general assholeness- there were undertones of sadness that ran deeply through him- Daniel had just never taken the time to notice.

“I guess he hasn’t always had the most reasons to be happy” Daniel answered, considering his own words as he spoke. 

“Would you like a drink, or anything to eat?” Carmen offered as it was clear that her words had hit home with the man in front of her.

“No, no thank you- I’m good. I better get home, I’ll check in with him tomorrow” he replied with a small smile. Carmen nodded, glad that the two men seemed to be getting on better- hopefully that would be one less thing to make the Karate Sensei so sad. 

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

It was nine am when Johnny woke up the next day- he had slept for twelve straight hours and that was a first having gone to bed sober. He had to admit he felt better- he had been exhausted, and it made his head muggy. He had woken up feeling clearer, stronger and fresher. He was going to get past this, he had fought too hard to turn his life around- to actually have money in the bank for the first time, to have Syd out of his life with no reason to return. For the first time he could stand on his own two feet and hold his head up high, there was no way he was going to let anyone take that away from him again. 

He swung his legs over the bed and made his way to have his one handed shower, groaning as it pulled on his ribs, but not letting that ruin his improved mood. He was dried off and dressed within twenty minutes- pain killers and antibiotics dutifully taken he turned his attention to making himself some breakfast. 

He sat back and sipped his coffee, he reached for his phone to look at the time and saw an envelope symbol. Miguel had told him that meant he had a text message waiting, he flicked through the smart phone until he managed to locate the right folder and saw he had a message from LaRusso. He read it and attempted to tap out a reply.

“I’m good” he pressed send and watched as it disappeared, shaking his head at the fact he had sent a text message unaided. He was evolving, he knew it and he couldn’t help but be slightly proud of how much he had achieved in the last six months. He knew he wasn’t perfect- hell he was pretty sure he was an asshole half the time, but it was for the right reasons and he was trying to be a better man. 

He grabbed his car keys, and left quickly before Carmen caught him, and within minutes he was in his car and driving towards the Dojo. He bobbed his head to the classic rocks that came on the radio and squinted into the morning sun. Just for a minute he felt happy, like everything was slotting into place. 

Then he remembered. 

Kreese was back. 

He was back and he wasn’t going to leave him alone. 

Johnny could feel it in his bones.

Suddenly he didn’t feel so happy anymore. 

He swallowed passed the lump in his throat.

Closed his eyes while the nausea settled. 

Clenched his fist to resist the urge to punch something. 

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Daniel reached for his phone as he heard it beep from the counter. He chuckled to himself as he read the short text message that Johnny had sent in return, surprised he had even managed that. He was relieved to hear from the other man, he shook his head to himself as he thought of how much had changed between them. 

The LaRusso’s ate their breakfast- the usual chatter filling the air before they all went their separate ways to school and work. Daniel couldn’t help but reflect on how very lucky he was to have them- and this life they had created as a family. It just showed that everyone’s path was so changeable- could be so very different, it all hinged on exactly what choices you made along the way.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Johnny worked on auto pilot, ordering some more practice dummies, some new mats for the back room and some weapons for as his students became more advanced. By the time the class arrived he had cleared all of his admin and it actually felt like a successful day- but he couldn’t help looking up every time he heard the door open- expecting Kreese to step through it at any moment. 

The class went well- his lecture about honour seemed to have hit the target and his students seemed to be listening to him. He didn’t know why, and he couldn’t quite believe it but they were. He could feel the weight of Miguel’s glance throughout the two hours that they had together, but he didn’t return it or query it- he concentrated on the class.

At the end of the class the teen remained behind and helped clean away. Johnny smiled- he had never charged Miguel a penny for his lessons- and he doubted if he ever would. The boy was priceless to Cobra Kai- and if he was honest with himself to him too. 

“Thanks” he said as they finished. 

“Mom was pretty pissed you didn’t come last night” Miguel warned him with a grin. 

“Sorry- I crashed” Johnny replied almost honestly and Miguel nodded, he knew that it was partly true from when they had checked on him. 

“Be grateful- if she had found you awake….” Miguel commented and mock shuddered, Johnny grinned at the demonstration- knowing that the teenager was probably only half joking. Their conversation was interrupted by the door opening.

“Class is over for today” Johnny yelled out, stepping out of the office as he spoke and being faced with the last person that he wanted to see. 

“So I see Johnny” the familiar voice croaked. A glint in his eye as he noticed the plaster cast encompassing the younger man’s arm. 

“Miguel- time for you to go home” Johnny told the young man without moving his eyes away from the devil stood in front of him.

“But Sensei” Miguel started arguing.

“Now- Miguel- through the back” Johnny instructed him, his voice carrying more force. Miguel sighed, sensing something was very wrong, but having little choice other than to do as he was told. Johnny relaxed slightly when he heard the door click shut behind him. 

“Have you considered my offer?” Kreese asked, his voice low and carrying the air of deadliness that Johnny remembered so vividly. 

“I don’t recall you making one” he argued, keeping his voice level and not moving. 

“Come now Johnny- it was inferred at least. You know I only want to help you, and it looks as though you need the help you can get” he added, gesturing to the broken limb. 

“I don’t want you anywhere near Cobra Kai” Johnny hissed, standing his ground. Kreese laughed- but it carried no humour. 

“Cobra Kai created you Mister Lawrence- and I created Cobra Kai- that is what you need to remember. You clearly need longer to think things through- I shall be seeing you” Kreese stated with a grin and spark in his eye that Johnny remembered all too well. He watched as the older man turned and walked out, only getting slight satisfaction at the obvious limp he carried as he suspected it had been from his sweep. As the door finally closed behind him, Johnny felt his shoulders sag- he moved quickly and flicked the door locked from the inside. Before he moved to the small toilet and threw up the lunch he had made himself eat a few hours earlier. He saw his hands shaking as he tried to steady himself and he coughed until he was sure he could hold himself together. 

He sat back, and closed his eyes, suddenly exhausted and feeling like the seventeen year old boy all over again. He hated the power his former Sensei had over him, hated the weakness it made him feel. 

He sighed as he finally gathered himself together enough to get to his feet and lean against the sink. He splashed water on his face and cursed as an unexpected wave of dizziness ran through him. He tightened his grip on the sink with his good hand and took deep breaths to settle his now swimming vision. His head was pounding, and he felt suddenly shocking- to think he always called concussions bullshit- this was taking him by surprise. He waited for it to pass- there was no way he was going through the indignity of being found passed out on the restroom floor- or cracking his head open on the toilet. 

He managed to get himself upright and to his office, where he sat down on the safety of his desk chair. This was not part of the plan- it was bad enough the restrictions caused by his broken hand, without his spinning head coming back into the mix. 

He sat like that for ten minutes, until he was sure his head and stomach had settled enough- then he got to his feet and walked slowly and carefully to his car. He had no idea how he made it home, but he was relieved when he did. He took himself off to bed without even stopping to get a beer on the way. 

He felt more human when he woke up two hours later, he was up and dressed and out the door in minutes- feeling the need to move and clear his head. He kept to no faster than a jog, feeling the sharp pain from his ribs as he moved, but needing the release. He could run for miles, one thing he had always maintained was his fitness. Despite his drinking and his sporadic meals he had always been fit and strong, and he wasn’t going to risk losing that. He jogged on, keeping his breathing even and his pace steady, limiting the impact on his body whilst releasing the pressure in his head. He ran out for two miles before turning back and doing the same route in reverse. He had no watch, no music he just ran- he knew these streets by heart, knew where to turn even if he had been blind folded. 

Half an hour later and he was back where he started, sweating and tired but feeling better than he had an hour ago. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and drank it down slowly, carefully pulling his shirt over his head with his one hand. He breathed in deeply, the action coming easier every day, carefully he experimented by lifting his leg to hip height and winced- not quite there yet, but he would take the small wins as his ribs healed more day by day. 

He finished his water and headed to the shower, he stepped out, dried himself off and immediately smelt the smell of cigars that had haunted his dreams for thirty-five years.

End Chapter Seven


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some naughty language in this chapter right from the start- you have been warned.
> 
> Thank you for your lovely comments to date- I am so pleased that people do seem to be reading this! Please stay with me and leave your comments!
> 
> As a side note I did Shotokan Karate as a kid- but as an adult defected to Taekwondo so forgive me if I slip into TKD language about any martial arts moves- I will try my best to be accurate but we all make mistakes.

Chapter Eight

“And what the fuck do you think you are doing here?” he asked, his temper immediately flaring as he wrapped the towel around his waist and came face to face with John Kreese. 

“Come now Johnny- no need for this” the man sneered, “I have come to apologise after all” he added- his hands held out in front of him. In the light of his apartment Johnny could see the bruising down the side of the older man’s face and couldn’t help the slight satisfaction that brought him. “That looks painful Mr Lawrence” Kreese stated gesturing at Johnny’s still colourful rib cage.

“It’s fine” Johnny hissed, not wanting to engage with the man, and certainly not wanting him in his home. “I want you to leave- you shouldn’t be here, so go” he added. 

“I had hoped we could move beyond this- I did after all make you what you are today Mr Lawrence” Kreese commented as he looked around the sparse apartment, leaning on the counter. He hadn’t escaped the fight unscathed either- his back was aching and bruised and his knee swollen- but he wouldn’t show that weakness to his former student- not when he had to let his plan unfold. 

“What I am today? You ruined my life- you used me, manipulated me and then tried to kill me? And for what? A trophy?” Johnny stated, involuntarily clenching his fist and taking a step forward. Kreese looked away, a flash of remorse crossing his face.

“You were the best student I have ever had Johnny- so much potential- you still do. A natural talent for martial arts, let me help you flourish Johnny- just like I did thirty years ago” Kreese asked, his voice deliberately soft and his eyes locked on the blue orbs of his former student. Johnny sighed, in his head he knew exactly what the man was doing, but his heart still desperately wanted to believe the words. 

Johnny looked away, worried his mixed emotions would reflect on his face, suddenly he was seventeen again- needing to belong somewhere, needing to be feel strong and in control- when really he had nothing, his life had been a mess- hidden behind a nice car, a big house and expensive clothes. His karate protecting him from others at school and making him a local hero- but more importantly allowing him to escape from the prison that was the house he shared with his Mum and his step Dad. 

“Please just leave” he finally stated, hating that his voice cracked as he spoke, showing a weakness that he desperately wanted to hide. Kreese sighed.

“Fine- you can push me away Johnny- but I will always be here when you are ready” he commented, before finally turning and walking away. 

Johnny watched as he left, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion as so many memories and associated feelings assailed his senses. He moved to the door and locked it, before leaning back against it and running his hands through his hair. He didn’t know what to do, Kreese clearly wasn’t going to leave him alone, and the desperate lonely part of him didn’t really want him to. 

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

“Why don’t you call your father and see if he wants to join us for dinner?” Daniel offered his student as the two finished up their training session for the day. 

“I’m not sure” Robby hesitated, he had been getting along better with his father- he just didn’t want to risk the rejection if he was honest with himself. 

“Come on, he’s had a crappy week- it would do you both good” Daniel gently pushed, surprising himself- but having seen the different side of his one time nemesis it was important to him to try his best to aid the father and son relationship. Robby sighed, he knew it made sense and he did want a relationship with his father.

“Ok, I’ll call him” he said with a nod. He finished tidying away before heading outside to make the call. He returned minutes later looking perplexed.

“Everything ok?” Daniel asked recognising the expression. 

“Yeah- he’ll be here in an hour if that’s ok?” Robby confirmed. 

“Yeah of course- you good?” Daniel asked, Robby’s tone not matching his words.

“Yeah- he just sounded a bit weird” the boy said, his expression concerned.

“Weird how?” Daniel asked stopping what he was doing.

“Just strange, almost sad” Robby replied, trying to form the words to explain. 

“I’m sure he’s fine, come on- you can help set the table” Daniel instructed to distract the boy. 

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Johnny looked at his phone in surprise, he didn’t know how to react to the offer from his son. It was everything he had hoped for that his son actually wanted to see him- but he couldn’t surprise it was facilitated by LaRusso of all people. 

He sat down and rested his head in his hands- wishing he could enjoy the moment, but his mind was elsewhere- yet another thing that Kreese was spoiling for him. He didn’t know what to do, he should have known something would go wrong for him. Never in his life had things actually gone right for very long, and this was just the proof. His dojo was a success, he actually had students that looked up to him and a good steady income- and now his past was trying to bite him on the ass yet again. 

He sat there for several minutes before he managed to shake himself from his reverie and start getting ready. He had let Robby down enough in the last sixteen years- there was no way he was going to do it again. He headed into the bedroom and grabbed a shirt that he could get on over the cast without aggravating his ribs. He then reached for his clean jeans before pulling on his slip on boots. He dragged the fingers of his good hand through his hair to tame the golden locks and then grabbed his jacket and keys. 

He would never have believed that he would have been voluntarily heading out to LaRusso’s house for dinner, but he would roll with it, times were clearly changing for the two men. He got in his car- and set off, knowing that he would be in trouble with Carmen if he had been caught, but willing to risk it.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Amanda smiled as she poured two glasses of wine and handed one to her husband.

“I am really proud of you Daniel- you’ve come a long way” she told him as she clinked her glass against his. He smiled at the compliment, it was true a lot had changed in a short period of time, there was even the danger that he and Johnny could end up with some semblance of friendship. He leaned in and gently kissed her on the lips- knowing that he would only be half the man he was without her in his life. 

“I hope Johnny likes chicken and pasta” Amanda commented as she checked on the dinner.

“I am pretty sure that Johnny likes anything” Daniel replied with a smile. He turned around as he heard a knock at the door. “At least he has knocked on the front door this time” he commented with a grin as he remembered the other man stood waiting for him by his pool. Amanda snorted at the comment and reached to get the plates down. 

“Hey” Daniel greeted as he opened the door. “Come in” he added pushing it wide to let the taller man through. 

“Hey- thanks for inviting me” Johnny added as he handed his former enemy a bottle of wine. Daniel smiled at the gesture.

“Hey no problem- you want a beer or a glass of wine?” he offered.

“Beer thanks” Johnny replied unsurprisingly. 

“Robby is just getting cleaned up- dinner is in about twenty minutes” Daniel told him, “Thought we’d all eat outside since its such a nice evening” Johnny nodded, not really knowing how to react to the conversation. 

“Thanks” he stated as he was handed the cold beer. Daniel looked at him, and although the other man was clean and had clearly made an effort there was something about him that was setting off alarm bells. His skin looked pale and he had a slump to his shoulders and a sadness to his eyes that Daniel wasn’t used to seeing there.

“Hey you ok Johnny?” he asked unable to help himself. Johnny startled at the question, surprised at the concern that the other man was showing. His reaction made him hesitate over his answer, and finally he settled for shrugging his shoulders and taking a sip from the bottle of beer. Fortunately he was saved by any further comment by his son walking in.

“Hey Dad” Robby greeted with a smile, genuinely pleased to see his father.

“Hey” Johnny responded, reaching out squeezing the boy’s shoulder- the first physical contact he had allowed for years yet somehow it seemed natural. “Good session?” he asked, determined to get off on the right foot.

“Yeah- Mr LaRusso is showing me this new Kata, I just need to get the circular falling kick right and I will nail it” the boy told his Dad with enthusiasm. Johnny smiled, he loved that his son was so passionate about something that also defined him- but he couldn’t help being sad that it wasn’t him he was sharing it with.

“That’s great Robby- keep practicing it and I am sure LaRusso will get you there” he replied softly. Daniel smiled at the comment, it appeared Johnny was trying just as hard as he was to get along- yet more proof that maybe he had judged him harshly in the past. He turned and headed back to the kitchen to allow the father and son some space to talk.

“Everything ok in there?” Amanda asked as she handed him the salad to take outside.

“Yeah- everything seems just fine” Daniel replied with a smile, taking the food outside and helping his wife with the rest. Within five minutes they were joined by Sam and Anthony and they were all enjoying their meals. Johnny was grateful for the choice of dish- managing to eat it one handed with little trouble. 

“So Johnny- how’s the hand healing?” Amanda asked, noticing how quiet the man was. 

“It’s getting there” he replied with a wince. “Just need to get this thing off” he added with a sigh. He hated being immobile, and never more so than when he so desperately needed the release of training properly. 

“How long have they said?” she asked, sympathising with his frustration. 

“Another two weeks before they x-ray it again to see if its healed right” he told her. Daniel groaned at the comment.

“Ah man, no way will you last that long” he stated with a chuckle. Johnny shot him a look at first, unsure how to react but then his lips broke into a grin at the truth in the comment. 

“I did consider sawing it off” he admitted with a shrug. 

“Don’t you dare!” Amanda warned, suspecting that he wasn’t joking. 

“I won’t- didn’t want to risk taking the hand with it” he stated as if it was perfectly normal. Daniel laughed out loud, he knew what an active person Johnny was. He assumed he had always used sport as a release so it was no surprise to him that he was struggling. 

“Are you managing to train with it?” he asked, his eyes making contact.

“Some- now the ribs are healing” Johnny admitted, an unexpected honesty to his answer. 

“Take it easy Dad- you don’t want to hurt yourself more” Robby told him, his voice full of concern for his father. Johnny smiled, it felt strange having his son care about him, but he liked it, even if he didn’t feel he fully deserved it.

“I won’t” he whispered, his blue orbs locked on the eyes of the one thing in his life that meant something to him- aside from his Karate. Robby smiled and nodded, the LaRusso’s watching the exchange in interest. 

“I’ll get the desert” Sam stated getting to her feet and beginning to clear the plates. She liked that her parents seemed to be getting along with the Cobra Kai Sensei- she just wished it had happened sooner, all of the situation with Miguel could have been avoided then. She sighed as she put the plates in the kitchen and reached into the fridge for the chocolate puddings her mom had prepared. 

Maybe things were recoverable with Miguel after all- a friendship if nothing else. She had managed to rescue that with Aisha so this should be no different- especially since their Sensei was having dinner at her house. 

“Hey you ok?” her father’s voice caused her to turn around.

“Yeah I was just trying to help out” she replied with a shrug. Daniel smiled, glad that his daughter was more on track. 

“Ok- you get the puddings and I will get the drinks” he said with a smile and the two did their jobs and sat back at the table. Once the deserts had been handed out the table fell into a friendly lull in conversation. Sam took her moment.

“I am really sorry about what happened with your car Sensei Lawrence” she stated her voice carrying more confidence than she felt. “We should have stopped when Yasmine hit it- or we should at least have reported it” she added. She was genuinely ashamed of their behaviour that evening- hell she was ashamed of a lot of the things she had been involved in when she hung out with Yasmine. 

“Thanks Sam” Johnny replied, surprising Daniel with his calm acceptance. “Compared with the other LaRusso attack on her yours was just a tap” he added, reaching for his beer and taking a sip. Daniel groaned, fearing that this was about to turn into an argument between them, catching the laughing gleam in Johnny’s eye just in time before he reacted badly. 

“Some may say it was doing you a favour” Daniel commented drinking from his own wine. Johnny nearly choked on his beer.

“That car was a classic. My Mom got her for me at graduation” he added, fond memories running through his mind before they were overtaken by the sadness.

“Well now I feel even worse” Sam muttered with a sigh. 

“Hey don’t- we all do dumb stuff when we’re kids- pretty sure I did worse” Johnny reassured her. 

“Amen to that” Daniel agreed, the two men locking eyes as they considered all of the things they had done to each other as teens. Without hesitation or further thought Daniel raised his glass of wine towards Johnny, eyes still locked on each other, and Johnny returned the gesture with his beer bottle- the two drinks clinking lightly together as the two men silently agreed to move on from their past.

End Chapter Eight


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

The evening went unexpectedly well, as the two men behaved themselves. Before they knew it evening had become night. 

“I should get going” Johnny said as he got to his feet, not managing to disguise his wince before it was noticed. 

“You’re welcome to stay” Amanda offered with a soft smile, she couldn’t help but feel a protective streak to the man that she had so many bad things about. Sure he was rough around the edges, but it was clear to her that his heart was very much in the right place- he just hadn’t had the best luck in life. Johnny hesitated, he didn’t want to outstay his welcome, but he also didn’t want to run the risk of Kreese appearing again.

“Johnny- come on its late, stay” Daniel added, wanting the other man to know that he was welcome. There was something off about him- as if something was playing on his mind and he wanted to get to the bottom of it. To confirm his point he handed the other man another bottle of beer with a grin. Johnny sighed, he couldn’t argue.

“Thanks” he agreed. 

“I’ll give Robby a ride home” Sam offered with a smile.

“Drive carefully” Johnny told her with a wink, and she smiled in return knowing that he was only teasing her. 

“I will” she stated. Daniel watched the exchange with a smile, not used to this side of his former nemesis. As the teenagers left the adults made their way into the lounge with their drinks- Johnny wishing he had brought his pain killers with him as his hand throbbed. 

“Do you need anything?” Amanda asked, sensing his discomfort.

“Do you have any aspirin?” he asked her, swallowing his pride. She nodded and headed out. 

“You need to do as they say with that hand Johnny- you can’t risk damaging it for life” Daniel told him once she had gone. Johnny sighed, he knew the other man was right but it still frustrated him. “Hey there’s Iron Eagle on in ten- you want to watch?” Daniel offered and Johnny quirked his eyebrow in surprise.

“You like Iron Eagle?” he asked, unable to keep the surprise out of his tone. 

“What man doesn’t?” LaRusso replied with a grin and Johnny couldn’t help the snort that escaped him in response. Daniel took the response as agreement so he flicked the TV on and the two men sat back, only interrupted by Amanda returning with pain killers. 

“Thank you” Johnny stated as he dry swallowed them. 

“Well I am going to leave you boys to it- early start for me in the morning” she commented as she leaned in and kissed Daniel before waving over her shoulder at Johnny.

“You did well there man” Johnny stated as he watched her leave- she was a strong and kind woman, the sort that Johnny knew he would never deserve. 

“Yep- Mandy is one of a kind” Daniel agreed, taking the comment in the spirit it was intended. “Have you seen anything more of Kreese?” he asked, finally mentioning the elephant in the room. He heard Johnny suck in a breath at the question. 

“Yeah, he showed back up. Even let himself into my apartment this afternoon” Johnny finally replied, too tired to avoid the question.

“What? You’re kidding me? How did he get in?” Daniel asked, sat forward his elbows on his knees. 

“I don’t know. I got out the shower and he was there in my kitchen” Johnny stated, his exhaustion carried in his voice. 

“Shit Johnny- you have got to report this to the cops” Daniel urged him, but the other man shook his head. “You don’t know what his intentions are- the man faked his own death for god’s sake” 

“He says he wants to help me” Johnny commented, his voice soft, but so charged with emotion that Daniel didn’t know what to say. 

“And you believe him?” 

“I don’t know what to believe” Johnny admitted. “He says he’s changed, says he just wants to help, says he’s sorry for what happened” 

“He tried to kill you Johnny- not to even mention everything that happened before that” Daniel tried to rationalise. Johnny got to his feet, needing to move, needing to strike out but fighting every single nerve in his body to stay calm. “Hey, hey man sorry- sit back down” Daniel attempted to reason with him. 

Johnny paced, he knew that everything Daniel was saying was true, he knew that in his head- but Kreese was the only father figure he had ever had that had truly shown interest in him. He had cried real tears when he had heard of Kreese’s death, grieved the loss of his former Sensei, despite everything.

He couldn’t express it in words to the other man, he wouldn’t understand. Daniel had come from a loving home- sure they had their own struggles, but his mother looked after him with care and love and his home was a sanctuary. Johnny had never had that- sure his mother had loved him- but she had also exposed him to violence and abuse in the one place that a child should have always been safe. 

“Hey we don’t have to talk about this now man- let’s just watch the movie” Daniel offered, seeing the turmoil that the brief conversation had caused. He watched as Johnny’s hand tightened around the bottle he was holding, watched the flicker of every emotion go across the pale face and knew the exact instant that Johnny made a decision. The bigger man sat down, taking a long drink from his beer as his gaze fixed on the movie. Thirty minutes later and the men were on their third drink and sharing a bowl of chips as they watched the movie from their youth.

“They just don’t make films like that anymore” Daniel stated as the credits rolled, Johnny nodded in agreement.

“Classic right” he agreed. “I think I’m going to turn in” he added, as he got to his feet.

“You need any more pain killers?” Daniel asked, knowing that the other man’s injuries were still causing him problems even if he wouldn’t admit it.

“Na- I’m good thanks” Johnny stated, stretching off as he started heading towards the guest room. “Night man” 

“Night Johnny” Daniel replied, glad that at least the other man was safe, even if he wasn’t totally convinced that he wouldn’t end up letting Kreese back in his life. He sighed, and gathered up the empty bottles, tidying away quickly before heading to bed himself.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Johnny laid awake, his body was exhausted but his mind refused to shut down as years’ worth of emotion battered him. He was so grateful that he was finally getting his head above water. He had people around him that he cared around and more surprisingly appeared to care about him, he was back doing the sport that had saved him in his youth- and it appeared to be saving him again. Yet was it also breaking him?

He groaned as he sat up on the bed. Kreese wasn’t going to go away, he knew that- it wasn’t in the nature of the other man to give in- especially when he would sense Johnny’s weakness where he was concerned. He sighed as he realised that was exactly what it was- weakness. He hated it- loathed it in fact, but he also knew that if he hadn’t got his second chance to make a life for himself, then he would probably be face down in a gutter by now- alone and missed by no body. But was giving the older man a second chance worth the risk to his Dojo? 

End Chapter Nine


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not much Daniel in this one I am afraid- but lots of Johnny!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting, real life has taken over a bit.  
> Hope that everyone is keeping safe in this crazy world at the moment.  
> Please keep reading this and please please let me know what you think!

Chapter Ten

Johnny was gone before the LaRusso family were even out of bed the following morning. He had work to do, decisions to make and planning to do, and he needed to get started. 

Daniel wasn’t fully surprised to see the guest room empty- he was surprised to see the bed neatly made and the door locked behind his former guest as he had left. He did wonder why Johnny had left so early- he knew full well that the other man had no classes until the afternoon that day, but still he did have a business to run and no matter how newly concerned Daniel found himself, it was really none of his business what the other man did. He just really hoped that whatever it was it wouldn’t involve John Kreese.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Johnny sighed as he read through the search results. It had been thirty years since Kreese had traded as Cobra Kai- so by the information provided by the gods of google that meant that he would have to have renewed the trademark registration at least three times- there would have been no reason for the older man to have done that. 

He clicked through the pages that came up full of information until he found the one he was looking for. He reached into his desk drawer and set about filling in the information- he needed to make sure that Cobra Kai remained his- he had come too far and been through too much to risk losing it now. An hour later and his one useable hand ached from the one fingered typing but he was done- at least now he would know once and for all if Kreese did own the rights to Cobra Kai, and if he didn’t then they would belong to Johnny for ever more, well as long as he remembered to renew them anyway. 

He picked up the next pile of papers and checked that it was his name on all of the invoices, the mats, the shelving, the pads and the insurance all with delivery addresses of Cobra Kai but all out of his personal money- he just hoped that would be enough. No matter what happened with Kreese he was determined he would protect the kids from him, protect them from his teachings and manipulation. He was a man himself now- he could take care of himself, they were still kids- impressionable and vulnerable kids he couldn’t risk that from happening. 

He glanced at his watch and realised that everything had taken much longer than he had planned and suddenly it was only thirty minutes until class was due to start. He neatly filed each of the papers away, he needed to make sure that he had everything correctly stowed and above board- it was the only way to protect himself. Strike first- strike hard was his creed after all. 

“Hey Sensei” a familiar voice greeted him and he looked up with a smile. 

“You’re early” Johnny commented as he put the last of the papers back in his desk. 

“I thought you might need a hand setting up” Miguel replied as he put his bag down on the floor. Johnny smiled, he was lucky to have this kid- he hadn’t realised it at first but he sure as hell knew it now. 

“Thanks man” he finally said. “Hey you want to get a burger after class? Payment for you helping me out with all the demos?” Johnny offered, suddenly feeling lighter. Miguel’s face lit up in genuine glee at the offer.

“That would be great- thanks Sensei” he agreed. “I’ll text my Mom” Johnny grinned and refrained from comment- when he had been a teenager he would stay away from home for days on end and his Mom would barely notice, too busy with Syd to realise all the danger her son was willingly placing himself in. He shook his head to clear the memories, going there now would do no good and just ruin what had so far been a good day. 

Miguel noticed his Sensei go from smiling to having a faraway and sad look in his eye, but he didn’t comment, he knew that his mentor was going through a tough time- and that having a teenager asking him about it wouldn’t necessarily make anything any better. 

“I’ll start setting up” he offered, leaving the older man alone with his thoughts. Johnny nodded, pulling his t-shirt off over his head with one hand and reaching for his Gi. Within seconds his jeans were over the back of his chair and his uniform black trousers were on him. He stretched slightly to test his ribs, they still felt tight but no longer caused the sharp stabbing pain to sear through him which he was grateful for. He looked down to see the faded bruising that was still obvious to see. Maybe he did need to work on his defence after all, a couple of decent mid section blocks may have prevented the extent of the damage. He sighed and reached for his top, looking up as the door opened.

“I see you have kept yourself in shape Mr Lawrence” the voice spoke and Johnny sighed- he should have known that Kreese would appear today of all days.   
He felt a shudder run through him as Kreese looked over his bare torso, grateful he had his bottoms on at least.   
He felt naked and vulnerable and he didn’t like either. 

“Sorry Sensei- he came in while I was getting the next set of pads” Miguel appeared with an apology. 

“It’s ok Miguel, just keep setting up” Johnny told him, proud of himself that his voice held no hint of the feelings that were raging through him. 

“Why are you here?” Johnny asked his old Sensei once Miguel had left.

“I told you Mr Lawrence, I am here to help you- I always have been and I always will be, you just need to realise that” Kreese replied with a soft smile. Johnny sighed and pulled his top on, feeling more protected for the added cover. 

“And what if I don’t need or want your help?” Johnny stated, his eyes averted.

“We both know that you always will Johnny- you just need to stop hiding from that” he commented. “You will always be that lost, lonely little boy that wandered into my dojo all those years ago. Now I am going to stay here and watch your class, see what tricks from our day you have remembered” he stated, looking away and moving into the main dojo.

Johnny swallowed, suddenly feeling like a powerless twelve year old boy again, he leaned against his desk to settle himself down, grabbed his belt and moved into the dojo himself. Miguel wordlessly took his belt and fastened it for him and Johnny grinned in thanks- although it didn’t meet his eyes. 

The class went without incident- Johnny didn’t introduce Kreese and for his part the older man remained silent. The students listened and performed well and for that Johnny was incredibly grateful. 

“You’re a good teacher Johnny” Kreese commented as the students filed out one by one. “They respect you, and you have some good prospects” he stated. Johnny smiled, the words setting an involuntary glow in the pit of his stomach. He was a fully grown man yet a simple compliment from his former mentor still has this effect on him- what did that say about him?

“Thanks” he replied eventually, not willing to be drawn any further into conversation. 

“What time are the classes tomorrow?” Kreese asked, his eyes locked on those of his student.

“I don’t want you coming back” Johnny stated simply. 

“We both know that’s not true Johnny or I wouldn’t be here now” he replied with a sneer, turning and leaving. “See you tomorrow Mr Lawrence” he stated over his shoulder. Johnny felt his shoulders sag as he moved against the wall.

“It was him that hurt you wasn’t it?” Miguel asked softly, not able to ignore the reaction his Sensei was having to the other man. 

“Repeatedly and for forty years” Johnny replied before he could stop himself. Miguel gasped at the comment. 

“What does he want?” the student asked moving closer to his Sensei to offer whatever support he could. 

“Probably just to mess with me some more” Johnny replied. “Come on lets get changed” he added, not forgetting his promise to take the boy out for burgers. Miguel smiled, surprised that they were still heading out. Within ten minutes the two were in the Cobra Kai mobile and on their way to Johnny's favourite burger place.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

The week passed and Kreese had come to one more class exactly as he had said and then Johnny heard nothing from him. He was grateful, but it also set his nerves on edge- exactly as the other man wanted it to in all likelihood. 

He had greater things to worry about this day as he had his follow up at hospital and as his patience with his casted hand were already beyond thin today could be make or break. Both Carmen and LaRusso had offered to drive him and he had declined both. 

Three hours later, his hand was throbbing, his nerves were frayed and his head was pounding, but he was on his way home and things hadn’t gone as badly as they could have. His hand was still embraced in a cast- but it was a lighter and thinner one. The doctor had been happy with his progress to date and thankfully no surgery was required. He just needed to get through three more weeks and then he should be fully fixed. 

He headed back to the Dojo and straight into his office, reaching into the fridge behind him and opening a beer- that he considered well deserved. He opened up the laptop and logged on to his emails- seeing a response at last about the Cobra Kai Trademark. He opened it, holding his breath without even meaning to- he skimmed the contents and found his heart speed up. Once he had read it through he read it again, more slowly absorbing the information and finally found himself smiling.   
He had done it- the trademark didn’t belong to anybody, and was being registered in his name, he rested his head in his hand and sighed in relief- step one was done, Cobra Kai belonged to him and there was nothing that anyone could do about it.   
He took a long gulp of his beer, swallowed two pain killers and hoped with every fibre of his being that this would be the start of things getting back on the right path. 

Then his cell phone rang, and he answered it- pleased to hear from his long term friend, he sat back to chat with Bobby- the one person from his past that he had always maintained contact with no matter how low in life he had felt- Bobby had always been someone he could trust. And then he listened to what the other man was telling him, heard the words he had dreaded, one of them was ill. Really ill. He got to his feet and closed the laptop down, grabbing his keys he was through the door before he even ended the call. He locked the dojo- checking the bolts front and rear and threw his bag into the car. 

As he was driving he called Miguel and asked him to get the message out that classes were cancelled for the next few days- he had a family emergency to take care off, once he had assured the teenager that he was safe and well himself the young man promised to make sure the message was out loud and clear. The last thing Johnny wanted was for any of his students to turn up for classes and come across Kreese without Johnny there to intercept. 

Everything sorted he headed out, he had a couple of hours drive ahead of him, but his friends needed him. Cobra Kai was for life- Cobra Kai never dies…..

End Chapter Ten


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for those that have left comments and kudos- I appreciate it!
> 
> Well as we are now in our second Lockdown in the UK I thought I should post a new chapter- I hope you guys are all well and staying safe in these strange times!
> 
> On a personal note my Seven year old son graded for his Yellow Tag in Taekwondo just before lockdown started and passed- so a very proud Mum here- he is now doing TKD lessons by Zoom- which did make me laugh at the thought of Online Cobra Kai classes- can you imagine Johnny's reaction?....... maybe thats the next story....

Chapter Eleven

Johnny couldn’t help the smile that escaped him as he felt the wind hit his face and the power of the bike beneath him. Sure the bars were a challenge with his broken hand but he was managing. It sucked that Tommy was so ill, but it was so good to be back with the boys. That was the beauty of the Cobras- they could be apart for years at a time, yet once they got back together it was like they had never been apart. 

He had missed this- the adrenaline rush as they pushed through the open roads, like they were eighteen again, before everything changed. He grimaced at that thought- he wasn’t proud of some of the things he had done in high school, at the time everyone had believed him to be the king of the high school- when really he was a scared, socially awkward kid with no one to talk to about the torture of his home life. He was glad that they were doing this- he had always been the closest to Bobby, the intelligent, emotionally aware one amongst them had never been fooled by Johnny’s façade. He knew exactly what Sid was like, and exactly what the other boy faced when he went home. 

Johnny sighed- he had hated he glances the other boy had sent his way back then, it was only now that he realised how lucky he had actually been to have him. Somewhere he knew he could always go and be safe with no questions asked. Looking back he owed the other boy more than he had ever realised. 

“We stopping here?” the object of his thoughts called out, pulling him out of his reverie. The men indicated and pulled the bikes in front of the road house, keen to get some beer and catch up.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

“A family emergency? that’s exactly what he said?” Daniel queried as Miguel told him why the Dojo was closed. 

“That’s exactly what he said” Miguel replied, surprised that the comment invoked that much of a reaction in the man.

“Johnny doesn’t have any family left” Daniel stated in confusion. Miguel furrowed his brow, now just as confused. “And he seemed ok?” Daniel questioned. 

“Yeah- usual Sensei Lawrence” Miguel assured him, unsure exactly why Mr LaRusso appeared so very concerned. Daniel nodded, not sure whether he should be worried or not. 

“Let me know if you hear anything else from him?” Daniel asked.

“Sure” Miguel agreed, no less confused than he was when the conversation had started. Daniel nodded to himself and turned and walked slowly away- at least satisfied that the Dojo was safe and secure. Miguel watched him leave, he hadn’t heard from Johnny since he had contacted him to let the others know that classes were cancelled, but he hadn’t expected to be given the reason he had gone. Mr LaRusso seemed disproportionately concerned for the other man, which surprised the teenager. It was unexpected. He shrugged to himself, he wouldn’t worry until he needed to. 

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

“I can’t believe that just happened” Tommy chuckled as he rolled his shoulder. He had not been in a pub brawl for years, and was surprised at how fluid the group had been in the battle. 

Johnny groaned as he flexed his hand.

“Sorry man” he apologised sheepishly. 

“What for? Most fun I have had in years and that asshole got what was coming to him” Tommy stated, smiling at his old friend.

“Man you still got moves Johnny” Bobby stated with a grin, his friend had always had a natural ability with his Karate, a strength and technical ability that nobody had been able to match and it appeared that as he had grown older and stronger his skills had grown with him.

“Thanks man” Johnny responded with a hint of shyness at the compliment. Bobby sighed at the reaction, some things didn’t change and even now thirty years later his friend still apparently suffered the consequences of years of abuse. The men fell into silence as they built their camp, just enjoying the time together. 

That evening as Johnny laid in his sleeping bag staring up at the stars he thought about how lucky he was. He had friends that cared for him, even after all these years, they had been through their lives together, lived scattered across the country- yet here they were altogether. He smiled and closed his eyes as he drifted off to sleep- having no idea that it was the last time that they would ever all be together like this ever again.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Miguel knocked lightly on the door, he still felt awkward being anywhere near the impressive house of the LaRusso’s despite all of the events over the last few months. 

“Hey Miguel come in” Amanda greeted him with a smile and he followed her through the door.

“Thanks Mrs LaRusso” he said as he looked around. 

“Daniel, is just in the kitchen come on through” she told him and he followed without comment. Daniel looked up from the stove as the two appeared. 

“Hey! I take it you have news?” Daniel observed without further comment. 

“Yeah do you know someone called Tommy?” Miguel asked, accepting the soda that Amanda handed him with a smile of thanks. 

“Yeah – one of the Cobras from High School” Daniel confirmed.

“He died this morning” Miguel told him, and Daniel’s head shot up at the comment- shocked. “Sensei Lawrence was with him” the young man added sadly.

“Ah man I had no idea that they were all still in touch- they were all so tight” Daniel said sadly, and finally the comment about a family emergency made perfect sense. “When’s he coming home?” he asked after a few minutes.

“He didn’t say, but the funeral is a few days away” Miguel updated him and Daniel nodded. 

“Thanks man, I’ll give him a call” he stated as he headed out to call his one time nemesis. Daniel stepped out and hit the number, unsurprised when it rang unanswered, he hung up and dialled again- hoping he could irritate the other man into answering it. He tried for a third time and smiled to himself when he was proven right and a very irritated sounding voice finally answered.

“What?” Johnny barked down the phone. 

“Johnny its Daniel- I just wanted to check in on you” Daniel stated, getting straight to the point. 

“I’m fine” Johnny stated, his voice tight and sounding anything but fine. 

“I am so sorry to hear about Tommy man” Daniel said and he meant it. So much time had gone passed, and as Johnny had previously pointed out, you all did silly things as teenagers. Johnny stayed silent on the other end of the line, and Daniel was about to speak further to fill the dead air when finally the other man spoke.

“Thanks” he whispered, his voice showing how much he was struggling. 

“Are the other guys with you?” Daniel asked, no idea when he had suddenly started to care about his former nemesis. 

“I’m staying with Bobby” Johnny replied and he sounded tired and weary. The timing of this could not have been worse Daniel thought to himself, Johnny was already injured and having a rough time- and now this? Would the other man’s luck ever change? Daniel was glad that Bobby was with him, Bobby had always been the softest Cobra, the one that was the heart of the group- that had been obvious even to Daniel looking in from the outside.

“Do you need anything?” LaRusso finally asked, knowing that the other man was going to be away until the end of the week.

“Can you just maybe check on the Dojo?” Johnny asked, and Daniel could tell that he hated asking.

“Sure- anything need doing?” he asked.

“No thanks, just check no one is there that shouldn’t be?” Johnny stated and it was clear what he meant.

“Sure- well I guess we’ll see you in a few days then” Daniel stated, he was about to hang up when Johnny stated his name just in time. “Yeah?” he queried.

“Thank you” Johnny said simply, and then disconnected the call. Daniel found himself looking at his phone with a slight grin. It was a funny world, and strange how things could turn around so quickly even after so much time.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Johnny was silent throughout the service, he had never been great in church and he had never expected to be here so soon burying one of his childhood friends. He winced as he flexed his fingers on his broken hand- he hadn’t brought enough painkillers to be away so long and using it to punch someone in a bar fight had not been his best idea, but somehow the pain was doing him good. Keeping him focussed, stopping his mind from straying to a darker place. 

He looked to the side as he felt a hand squeezing his shoulder, and he nodded lightly at Bobby. The service had finished and he had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed. 

“Come on man, lets go and get a drink” Bobby offered out his hand to his friend and the two men walked side by side together out of the church. 

“Can you stay until tomorrow?” Bobby asked him as they headed into the nearest bar, both men undoing their ties. 

“Yeah, I’ll set off back tomorrow” Johnny agreed, accepting the beer.

“How’s the hand?” Bobby asked, not missing the new bruises to the exposed fingers. Johnny winced as he looked at it and felt the sharp pain through his knuckles. 

“It’s fine” Johnny lied and Bobby snorted, knowing his friend well enough after all this years to know the truth. 

“So Kreese is back huh?” Bobby queried cutting straight to it. Johnny groaned at the unexpected change in conversation.

“Well and truly back” Johnny replied, necking his beer and indicating for another one. 

“Making himself known huh?” Bobby probed, wanting to get to the bottom of whatever the old sensei wanted with his friend.

“Completely” Johnny stated and held up his broken hand to prove the point. 

“Wait- Kreese did that?” he asked. “How’d he get the drop on you?” he asked in confusion, he had seen his friend’s moves during the barfight, and he was a fighting machine that was clear for anyone to see- so how had a man in his seventies beaten him to this extent? Johnny groaned again. 

“You know what he’s like Bobby” he finally stated softly, and Bobby did know. He had seen first hand the inexplicable power that the Karate Sensei had over his finest student, he had hated it back then, known what it did to his friend but he had been powerless to help. He had hated the hurt that his friend had been put through in high school- he had suffered abuse at the hands of his step father and used Karate as a way of gaining self worth- only to fall into the sadistic hands of John Kreese- there had been no escape for the teenager, and Bobby knew that had impacted on his adult life. 

“What does he want?” Bobby finally asked as he took a drink from his own beer. 

“To mess with me. To show he can still get to me. To show who still has the power” Johnny stated, verbalising his thoughts and his words heavy with emotion.

“Do you want me to come back with you?” Bobby offered softly, worried by what he saw. He hated that after over thirty years the older man still had this much power over his friend. Johnny smiled, but it didn’t touch his bright blue eyes.

“Thanks man, but no- you have your own life, no need to take you down with me” he finally said, and somehow his words sent a shudder through his old school friend.

End Chapter Eleven


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your Kudos and comments- I hope you are still reading!

Chapter Twelve

John Kreese grinned to himself as he looked in the photobook in front of him. His fingers caressed the black and white image that adorned the page. He sighed, the boy needed to see sense, needed to come round to his way of thinking. He had created Johnny Lawrence, spent all of those years moulding him into the man he had become, and the younger man was showing him no gratitude for that. 

Years he had spent dwelling on the past, and when he had happened to see an article detailing the return of his beloved Cobra Kai and a picture of his star pupil in the classic black Gi he had known that it was time to return. The boy had grown into a muscular and able athlete, just as he had known he would. If only he had stayed under his guidance he could have competed at an international level- but no it had all been thrown back in his face. 

He had watched the All-Valley in interest, felt a jolt in his stomach as the Cobras had filed in- followed by the blonde man, felt a sense of pride that he had been the one to start it all. He watched Johnny, saw the younger man and the flex of his muscle as he bumped fists, watched the tension in his face as he observed match after match and realised how much he had missed this. He inhaled- the smell of training mats, sweat hanging in the air and he smiled to himself, this was the start of his return, he could feel it. 

His fingers stroked the photograph one more time before carefully closing the book and placing it on the shelf above his bed. The boy would realise what he was missing- he had known Johnny Lawrence long enough to know that he would eventually realise and come back to him. The boy had spent his life facing rejection and abuse, there was no way he would resist stepping back to Kreese. 

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Johnny took the long way back home, it had been a heavy week and he could still feel his emotions building up within him. Bobby had almost insisted on coming back to LA with him, but he had managed to persuade him otherwise. His friend dying had made him realise how short life was, if Tommy could be taken be taken in the blink of an eye that could happen to any of them at any moment. 

He couldn’t risk what he had in that moment, he knew that now- he had to protect it. He had thought of letting Kreese back into his life, but he realised it wasn’t an option. The man was poison, he had abused him, tortured him and manipulated him during the most vulnerable years of his life, it was time that he would never get back. He knew that now. He had to face the past. He had to look at it head on, the memories assailed his brain as he drove, completely out of his control as the past appeared right in front of him like a turning kick to the face.

He still felt the touch of the other man.   
He felt the whisper of the breath on his face.  
The hand placed on his hip.  
The caress of his face.  
The tightness of his fingers pressed into his wrists.   
The air failing to reach his lungs as a headlock tightened. 

He swallowed past the bile that rose in his throat, and pulled off the road, almost falling out of the car to wretch at the side of tarmac. He stayed there for an unknown amount of time, his teenage years had been stolen from him. He knew he would never get them back, knew that he would never regain that innocence or the feeling of self worth. He did know that- but he also knew he had the power to stop others feeling how he felt right at that moment, and that is what he had to find the strength to stand up and do. He owed that to this generation, hell he owed it to his 17 year old self. He just hoped he could be strong enough.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Daniel walked around the Dojo checking everything was locked and secure- he could see why Johnny would want it checking on, he knew that Miguel would have been keeping an eye on the place, but the teenage boy didn’t know why- and Johnny wouldn’t want him to. Daniel sighed, he just hoped that Johnny would keep Kreese at a distance, preferably many miles away. At least the dojo seemed to be safe, he hadn’t seen anybody hanging around, he had checked in with the surrounding shops too and nobody had seen anyone that looked like Kreese. It wouldn’t have surprised Daniel if Kreese had known that Johnny was away and that was why he hadn’t bothered wasting his time. He didn’t know the old Sensei as well as Johnny did- but he still didn’t doubt that it was Johnny the other man was there for and he wasn’t convinced he would ever disappear until he got exactly what he wanted. 

He double checked the door one more time, and turned to move to his car, only stopping when he saw car headlights pulling into the bay in front. He smiled as he caught sight of black and yellow car parking up.

“Hey” he greeted taking in the pale and stubbled face of the other man.

“Hi” Johnny replied not meeting the other man’s eyes. “All good?” he asked gesturing towards the dojo.

“Yeah- I have been thinking thought, it wouldn’t hurt to get an alarm and some cameras fitted” Daniel suggested leaning against the bonnet of his own car. Johnny nodded and shrugged his shoulders at the comment.

“I’ll look into it” he stated, knowing that his newly acquired friend was trying to help but his mind was firmly elsewhere. 

“Hey did you get into a fight?” Daniel asked as he finally saw the outline of a bruise on the other man’s jaw in the shadows. Johnny half smiled at the comment. 

“Sort of” he replied with a sad smile. 

“I am sorry to hear about Tommy, how you guys holding up?” Johnny shrugged again at the question, he had never been one to really express his feelings- he tended to get them out on some target pads or a punch bag- or at the bottom of a crate of beer. 

“You wanna get a drink?” he finally asked, catching the smaller man by surprise. 

“Sure” Daniel agreed, and the two men walked side by side down the street. Daniel knew that Johnny wasn’t a big talker, but he was being quiet by even his standards. “Funeral go ok?” he finally asked. 

“As well as a funeral goes” Johnny replied sarcastically. “Good to see the guys at least” he added.

“Did they all make it?” Daniel asked, curious what had become of the group of boys that had been so strong throughout high school.

“All except Dutch- he couldn’t get released” Johnny answered.

“Released?” Daniel queried in confusion. Johnny actually chuckled at the tone. 

“From jail- he got a long stretch man” he clarified. 

“Wow- I mean I didn’t know” Daniel stated and Johnny laughed harder.

“But I bet you ain’t surprised” he commented with a smile. Daniel couldn’t help but return the gesture. He shrugged himself and had to concede that he wasn’t- if any of the Cobras were going to land themselves in jail than anyone in high school would have bet on it being Dutch. 

“So how did you wind up in a bar fight?” Daniel asked as the two walked through the streets, Johnny grinned as he gestured towards the bar in front of them and the two stepped in.

“Defending a lady’s honour” Johnny stated with a shrug and Daniel laughed out loud. 

“Did you at least win?” the other man asked as he gestured at the bar staff for service. 

“Didn’t get locked up so we considered that a win” Johnny replied with a wink, reaching for his beer. Daniel’s eyes shot up as he caught sight of the injured hand, he reached for it and Johnny recoiled as if he had been burned.

“Christ Johnny- you punched someone with that?” he asked in dismay at the fresh bruising. Johnny winced and then shrugged.

“It was that or lose my head” he admitted. “It’s fine Danielle- don’t panic” he added with a grin. Daniel rolled his eyes, he took a sip of his drink as he digested the words. 

“Someone needs to worry” Daniel stated without making eye contact, Johnny found himself lost for words as that one sentence said so much more. He nodded as he didn’t know how to react, and signalled for some more drinks. “Hey have you told Miguel that you’re back?” Daniel asked, letting the other man off the hook.

“I text messaged him earlier” Johnny replied and Daniel smiled at the use of language. “Told them classes back on from tomorrow” he added.

“Good- they’ve missed you” Daniel stated easily. He was willing to admit that now, willing to actually stand up and say that the other man maybe was making a difference to the kids that he taught. They looked up to him, and he tried to show them care- sure it was in his own way, but the intention was there. 

“I like teaching them you know- showing them the good stuff that Karate brings” Johnny told him with a small smile. “They just need a way to be themselves, that’s all I want to help them to do”. Daniel smiled, those were the words that he had wished he had listened to sooner. 

“Sorry that I never gave you a chance Johnny” he stated.

“I didn’t really earn that chance did I” Johnny admitted with a shrug. “Did you keep training? After the All Valley I mean?” he asked.

“For a couple of years and then Karate kind of fell by the side. I trained with Sam when she was younger, but for the last ten years or so I haven’t done a thing” Daniel stated, an element of sadness carried in his voice. “What about you?” he asked.

“Me? I never set foot back at Cobra Kai after the night of our fight” Johnny stated and Daniel was taken aback by the tone of his voice. “I trained with Bobby for a while, he was the only one that really got it” he continued. Daniel nodded, he didn’t know the depth of what had gone on all of those years ago, but he knew it had affected the other man deeply. 

“Did you ever join another dojo?” the smaller man asked in interest, Johnny possessed a natural talent, a fluidity of motion that he hadn’t seen anywhere else- he couldn’t imagine the other man not having the martial art in his life. 

“No, when Bobby went to college I trained by myself mostly.” Johnny commented lightly. 

“Wow- that’s tough man, it’s a tough art to maintain by yourself” the other man replied with a twist of the lips. Johnny smiled.

“But better than Kreese” Johnny stated, and Daniel raised his glass in agreement to that.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

The two men staggered into Daniel’s front room several hours, and several drinks later. 

“Shh” Daniel prompted as Johnny walked into the coffee table and grunted in pain. 

“Scared Amanda will ground you?” Johnny taunted with a giggle. 

“She just might” a third voice stated as the light was suddenly flicked on. She looked at the two grown men in front of her and shook her head. “Look at the state of you two” she admonished them, but she couldn’t keep the smile from her face as she surveyed the two men that were clearly worse for wear. “I will get you two some coffee- now sit down before you fall down” she added with a shake of her head. The two did as they were told.

“She’s a keeper man” Johnny stated as he eased himself unsteadily onto the sofa.

“Don’t I know it” Daniel agreed with a grin. 

“Now where the hell have you two been?” Amanda asked as she handed them each a mug of coffee. 

“Danielle made me go to a bar” Johnny stated, and Daniel nearly choked on his coffee. Amanda managed to stifle a laugh as she listened to the two men bickering, pleased with how far they had obviously come. 

“The guest room is made up Johnny- I will see you two in the morning” she told them and allowed the smile to cover her face as she turned around and headed to bed now that the boys were home safe and sound and she could relax. 

“You think you’re in trouble?” Johnny asked the other man once she was out of ear shot.

“Na- Mandy will just be glad we haven’t killed each other” he replied and Johnny snorted.

“Hey thanks for tonight man” he said, the words not coming easily to him. Daniel just smiled.

“Well I better turn in- pretty sure her good humour will fade if I don’t make it into work tomorrow” he commented as he got to his feet. “Help yourself to whatever you need” he stated as he staggered away and headed upstairs. Johnny couldn’t help but laugh at the image of the drunken Daniel LaRusso- if his 17 year old self could see him now. He shook his head at the thought and finished his coffee, heading into the kitchen to get some water he leaned on the counter and gathered his thoughts.

It had been good this evening, he had relaxed and had a good time. It had further cemented in his mind what he knew he had to do. He sighed, suddenly tired he headed to bed. He needed sleep.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Daniel smiled to himself as he climbed into bed beside his beautiful wife. He was such a lucky guy- he had a wonderful family and more support than he deserved. 

“Johnny turned in too?” Amanda asked sleepily.

“Yeah- think he needs a good night sleep- he looked exhausted” Daniel replied as he nuzzled into her neck. She swatted him away lightly.

“You’re drunk- and you ain’t getting any” she reprimanded him gently and pulled the duvet higher over her. He grinned, knowing that he deserved the words, and not minding.

“Night babe” he said kissing her gently and laying down himself. 

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Johnny woke to the creak of a floor board, he blinked as he felt a slight draft- he flinched as he felt a pressure on his throat, pushing him back against the bed, grip tightening around his neck, finger tips digging into the fragile flesh. 

He gasped as he tried to draw in a breath, the expert lock against him preventing any air from travelling to his lungs. He tried to raise his arms, to fight off the unseen attacker, the movement causing more panic to rise through him and increase the need for oxygen.

He struggled harder, writhing in his bed, his feet kicking out and his hands reaching out for the arms that pinned him. 

The scream died in his throat as he had no spare air to let it out- he reached his hands out and grabbed at the fingers that gripped his life- only to find empty air and finally the scream made it out of his throat.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Daniel stirred as he heard a strange noise from the downstairs. He laid in bed for a minute and concentrated on just listening, and he heard it again. He got to his feet and grabbed his phone from the side just in case he needed to call the cops. 

He padded down the stairs in his bare feet and he heard a thud, his pace stepped up as he had a feeling in his gut what was going on. He gently pushed the door to the guest room open and felt a wave of sadness at what he saw.

End Chapter Twelve


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Daniel stepped forward, trying to keep close to the wall and out of danger- carefully he reached forward and tried to shake Johnny’s shoulder, shocked when the other man twisted out of his reach, his face pale and covered in sweat. 

“Johnny” he said, trying to ground the clearly distressed man with his voice, when that brought no reaction he raised his voice further and said the name again, but his friend was too far lost in whatever nightmare held him tightly in it’s embrace. Daniel tensed and stepped forward, knowing he had to drag the man back to the present and safety. He reached over and grabbed the blonde by his shoulders and shook, not realising it was probably the worst thing that he could ever have done. 

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

John Kreese paced in front of the Dojo- he knew there was several hours before Johnny would arrive for work, but he would wait. It was time for his protégé to come round to his way of thinking, time for them to be reunited and Cobra Kai to regain it’s former glory. 

He looked at the logo on the door- Johnny had done a good job in recreating it, he just needed to be firmer with his students, not show that soft side that had eventually been his downfall. He couldn’t let this go, couldn’t risk losing his Dojo again, couldn’t risk losing Johnny again- not when he was finally finding his way home after all of these years.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

“Shit” Johnny cursed as a bolt of pain shot through his hand and all the way up through his wrist. He shook his head as he had no idea where he was, he felt the shadow of a touch across his neck and he moved backwards involuntarily, his hand raised to his throat and his eyes flickered around him, confusion evident on his face.

“You good?” a voice spoke from beside him, and he flinched in fear as the edges of the dream still held him. Finally the cloud dropped from his eyes and he registered where he was and who was speaking to him.

“Daniel?” he queried as reality registered.

“You back with me?” Daniel asked, and Johnny noticed that his voice sounded strange. Johnny sighed as he realised that the dreams that had haunted him for years had returned. The blonde man nodded as he ran his hand over his face, registering that his broken hand was throbbing he attempted to flex his fingers. He finally looked at the other man and saw the blood on his face.

“Shit Daniel did I do that?” he asked as he registered the injury. 

“Not your fault man” Daniel reassured him, moving forward now that it was clear his friend was back with them. He sat down on the bed beside him. “Have you hurt your hand?” he asked gently, keeping a small distance to avoid the frayed nerves of the bigger man. 

“It’s fine” Johnny muttered, leaning forward and attempting to gain control of his breathing, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Daniel asked carefully, and Johnny shook his head instantly, the memories too raw, too fresh and too painful to even get them in any order in his mind- there was no way he could string a sentence together to describe them. The two men sat in silence, until eventually Johnny got to his feet.

“I need to walk” he muttered, heading out without looking back. Daniel watched him in concern, the other man didn’t even have shoes on as he moved through the house and out of the front door, his mind lost in the past- his heart struggling to get control of his emotions. 

Johnny stepped out feeling the cool air hitting him and took a breath. He hesitated as he stood on the drive, stepping to the side and leaning against the wall as a wave of pain washed over him. He turned around and rested his forehead against the wall- concentrating on his breathing as the images assailed his mind. He swallowed, attempting to push the nausea back.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Daniel observed him, knowing that the other man needed his space, would hate to know that he was watching him at this moment. He wasn’t willing to go far, he had to know that he was there and ready to catch him if he was needed. 

He watched as the bigger man visibly struggled to regain control of his emotions, could see him struggling to not give in to the memories that battered him. He wished that he could do something to help- but he knew that nothing could right there and then. 

“What did he do to you?” he said out loud, knowing the other man wouldn’t hear and even if he could he probably wouldn’t tell him.

He stepped out into the air, feeling the need for the cool breeze himself as he felt shaken by the events that had unfolded. Even from the distance he stood he could still make out the silent shudders that ran through the larger man.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Johnny couldn’t gain control, he just couldn’t draw his feelings back in. He leaned on the wall and sucked in a breath, feeling his body shaking as he tried to put his shutters back in place. He couldn’t and he could feel everything building back up again- he shuddered at the feel of the touch on his skin, before he could stop himself he had drawn his fist back and punched at the wall, repeating it with his other hand, again and again until he felt strong arms embracing him and physically pulled him away. He gasped out a sob as his release was taken from him and felt his skin crawl at the feel of someone touching him.

“Johnny- stop” a commanding voice stated and he tensed, still attempting to draw free. “Stop it or I will drop your ass” Daniel added in an attempt to get through, and was relieved when finally Johnny stopped struggling. He knew that Johnny was stronger than him, faster than him and in all honesty a better fighter even in his current state. If Johnny had chosen to fight he was pretty certain that there would only have been one winner. 

He was dragged out of his thoughts by the object of them physically sagging against him clutching at his hand and groaning.

“Son of a bitch” Johnny hissed as the signals to his brain caught up and told him what a stupid idea using a broken hand to punch a wall had been. “Fuck” he groaned as he didn’t dare look at the injured limb. Daniel sighed, knowing that a trip to the ER was in their immediate future, he placed his hands on the other’s bicep and guided him into the house- only to find Amanda stood there waiting for them. She raised her brow at Daniel and he shook his head with a grimace, letting her know she would fill him in later.

“Can you drive us to the ER?” he asked her softly knowing that he had far too much to drink earlier in the evening to get behind the wheel. Amanda nodded, knowing there was no need to question, she headed back upstairs to get changed. 

“Sorry I hit you” Johnny stated, not looking up from the floor and his voice raw. “Sorry you’re dragged into this” he added his voice barely above a whisper.

“Hey- you didn’t know what you were doing man, I should have known better than to try and wake you up like that” Daniel stated, squeezing his friend’s shoulder and feeling the tension radiating through it. “I’m going to wash up and get dressed- I’ll grab your shoes too” he added, walking slowly away and leaving his friends to his thoughts. 

Johnny leaned forward, his stomach rolled as pain radiated the full length of his arm from his broken hand- fear suddenly settled in that he may have irreparably damaged it. He swallowed as he considered what he was going to, he knew he couldn’t go on like this- physically or mentally. He looked up as Daniel appeared back in front of him, now dressed in joggers and a jacket and carrying his shoes.

“Can you do it- or do you need a hand?” Daniel asked him gently, and Johnny let the little pride he had left slip away as he held out his foot- knowing with his battered hands he wouldn’t be able to do it. Daniel barely reacted as he got to his feet and pulled the other man’s shoes on. 

“You ready to go?” Amanda asked as she reappeared. The two men got to their feet- Johnny nearly doubled over at the action, but Daniel’s calming hand on his shoulder settled him back. The two men walked slowly behind and got into the car- Amanda drove carefully through the streets, not willing to risk any accidents. They were at the hospital in no time given the lack of traffic at that time of night.

“Thanks” Johnny whispered as he got himself out of the car and walked slowly in, grateful he had been a grown up and made sure he had got healthcare insurance when he had opened the dojo. 

The two men sat down in silence while Amanda went home to be with the kids. Johnny sat in silence, angry with himself, angry with his former mentor- pretty much angry with the World as he considered the last few years.

“How does it feel?” Daniel asked, wanting to break the tense silence and try to drag the other man out of the past.

“Like I punched a wall with a broken hand” Johnny replied with a grimace. Daniel mirrored the action as he dared to look at the limb in question- now covered in further mottled bruising and looking red and swollen. 

“Johnny? What on Earth happened” another voice made both men jump, knowing that he was going to be in a whole world of trouble now that Carmen had caught him. He was saved from answering by his name being called. He managed an apologetic smile before he struggled to his feet and followed the nurse. 

Carmen turned her attention to Daniel with her arms folded across her chest.

“Hey don’t look at me” he stated his hands raised in defence. She sighed before turning on her heals to check on the man that she had come to care deeply about. 

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

The nurse had taken one look at the damage in front her before summoning a doctor, within ten minutes the cast had been cut off and the pain had reduced slightly.

“Well Mr Lawrence you have made a mighty mess of yourself here” he told him with a sigh. Johnny grimaced at the hint he heard in the doctor’s voice.

“Can you fix it?” he asked, hearing his own voice shake. 

“Let’s get some new x-rays done and take it from there” the doctor stated taking pity on the clearly upset man in front of him. “Why on earth did you hit a wall?” he asked as he sat down beside Johnny. Johnny hesitated before answering. 

“I had to get it out” he replied softly, the doctor nodded. He had sensed it would be something like that. There was an air of desperation that seemed to hover over the man sat in front of him, his eyes looked haunted as he watched the doctor. 

“Do you want me to see what we can do about that as well Johnny?” he asked gently, and wasn’t surprised when the other man looked away. He reached forward and squeezed his knee, sensing that the other man had little comfort and willing to offer what he could. “Ok- five minutes or so and someone will come and take you down to X-Ray” he told him with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Johnny nodded, before leaning back and resting his head against the pillows, exhaustion overwhelming him. He didn’t dare to close his eyes- he couldn’t risk the dreams returning now.

He was collected less than ten minutes later and he was silently wheeled through the halls in a chair- the doctor hadn’t liked the look of him and decided to err on the side of caution. The staff were careful and methodical, but he still felt his stomach lurch as they handled his now badly swollen hand. He was back in his room before he knew it and joined by the doctor. 

“Well its not all bad news” the doctor started, and his words got Johnny’s attention instantly. “It is well and truly rebroken, but nothing that doesn’t seem fixable” he told him, and saw some of the tension leave his patient instantly. “However it is going to need some help to get there” he added.

“What sort of help?” Johnny asked, and his voice cracked as the day caught up with him.

“I am keeping you in for surgery Johnny- that needs realigning and potentially pinning” he told him, knowing that the clearly active man in front of him wasn’t going to like the news. Johnny groaned out loud.

“Is it really necessary?” he asked tiredly.

“If you want it to be fully functioning going forward then yes” the doctor replied. “There’s an OR free tomorrow morning, I took the liberty of booking it out and calling your Ortho” he continued. 

“So I have to stay here?” Johnny asked in dismay.

“Yes- at least for tonight. I am not fully happy with your numbers anyway. You are dehydrated and your blood pressure is higher than I would expect for a man with your fitness level” he stated, and Johnny looked away. “Have the surgery and in a day or so you should know what comes next” he added. Johnny sighed before nodding, he wasn’t happy about it but he knew he had little choice. “I’ll get a nurse in to get you settled and then we’ll move you to the ward for the night” he told him. Johnny laid back and sighed, he didn’t do hospitals well, didn’t like the fuss or the immobilisation- it didn’t go with his coping mechanisms. 

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Daniel glanced at his watch- Johnny had been gone for over two hours and he was starting to get a little worried. He looked up as the doctor appeared.

“Is he ok?” he asked instantly. 

“You can go and see if you like” the doctor told him and gestured the way. Daniel nodded, not convinced it was a good thing, but doing as instructed. Johnny looked up tiredly as he entered the room, Daniel was surprised to see him laid on a bed with a cannula in his good hand and his broken one resting on a pillow with no cast on. He winced as he saw it- it had looked bad before but now it looked awful.

“Hey man- how you doing?” he asked as he perched on the edge of the bed, being careful not to jostle the damaged hand.

“Hey- they are keeping me here tonight” he replied, his eyes filled with swirls of emotion that Daniel couldn’t quite pin down. 

“Why?” Daniel asked in confusion- suddenly wondering if there was more wrong than he had realised.

“Said it won’t heal without intervention” Johnny stated with a sigh- his frustration leaking to the surface. Daniel felt his heart jolt for the other man, he would hate this- he just knew it. 

“Do you need me to get some things for you? Some clothes or nightwear?” he asked. Johnny snorted and a shadow of a smile formed on his stubbled face. 

“No thank you- I don’t need nightwear” he finally replied with the ghost of a grin still on his lips. “Maybe some clean clothes tomorrow though?” he asked with a hint of hesitation to his voice. 

“Sure, do you want me to let anyone know?” the smaller man asked with caution. Johnny thought carefully. 

“Maybe Robby?” he asked finally. Daniel nodded, he looked over the other man and saw how exhausted he actually looked. Over the last few weeks the other had suffered his former abuser had returning, he had sustained a concussion and broken bones, he had watched his best friend die and now this. No wonder he was struggling.

“Do you want me to stay?” Daniel offered softly, Johnny looked at him- right in the eye for the first time and saw nothing but care there.

“No- you go home to your family” he finally replied. “But thanks” he added as he closed his eyes. “Pretty sure they are going to give me the good shit in a minute anyway” he commented and Daniel couldn’t help but laugh. He got to his feet to leave the other man to get some rest.

“I’ll see you tomorrow Johnny” he said, and received a nod and a flicker of tired fingers in response. He hated leaving the man that had become his friend, but logically he knew that there was no point in staying. He made his way out of the hospital and got an Uber home- knowing that sleep wouldn’t come quickly for him tonight. 

End Chapter Thirteen


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

The next day was a blur to Johnny- he had been taken straight into surgery shortly after he had woken up, and was back on a ward within hours- his entire arm immobilised securely and his body pumped full of pain killers. He had done nothing all day- yet felt exhausted. He laid his head back against the pillows- he knew he was waiting on the surgeon to visit him to see if he could go home, and desperately hoped he could. 

He looked up as Daniel stepped through the door with a grin.

“Hey” he greeted. “How’d it go?” he asked as he sat down. Johnny shrugged.

“Doc hasn’t been yet” Johnny replied, his voice croaking as the anaesthetic was still wearing off. Daniel smiled lightly and squeezed the other man’s shoulder, wincing as he saw the binding around the injured limb- this wasn’t going to be something that healed quickly of that he was sure. 

Both men looked up as the doctor stepped through the door.

“Good afternoon Johnny, I guess you are waiting for news?” he asked with a grin, knowing that his patient had no patience. Johnny simply nodded, too tired to engage in polite conversation. “Well we did end up having to pin it- but it is secure and aligned so as long as you do as you are told and avoid punching anything else it should heal just fine” he told him.

“When can I go home?” Johnny asked. The doctor rolled his eyes he had been expecting the question.

“You need to have something to eat and drink first- then the nurse will run you through your meds, then I will consider releasing you” he told him. Johnny sighed, he felt anything but hungry- but he did want to go home so he finally nodded. Daniel smiled as he watched the exchange, enjoying Johnny being told what to do for once. 

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Why was it still shut? Kreese thought to himself as he stood outside the dojo and saw it was still locked and firmly closed. Surely Johnny wasn’t going to these lengths to avoid him? That would be costly for him and he was pretty sure that was money that the younger man couldn’t spare.

He observed the comings and goings quietly, noticing that a couple of different people came to check on the place- but never Johnny himself, something must have happened. On the fifth day that he was there he saw a weasly little man go from one premise to another and he quickly realised that he had to be the landlord- he grinned to himself, this had to be his chance. 

“Good morning” he greeted, all charm and toothy smile.

“Who are you?” the other man replied with suspicion.

“Just a friend of Johnny’s” he replied. “You having to chase him for his rent?” he asked with an eyeroll, knowing how these strip malls worked he went straight in with the direct question. 

“No, only one I haven’t had to chase” the man replied. “What’s it to you anyway?” he asked, his hackles raised. Kreese raised his brow in surprise, maybe Johnny wasn’t as chaotic as he had thought. 

“Just seeing if there would have been a mutually convenient way of increasing your income” Kreese stated folding his arms. 

“Is that so?” 

“How would you like to discuss this further over a drink?” Kreese suggested guiding the man away with a smile, knowing that the hook had landed.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

“You don’t have to do this LaRusso” Johnny sighed as he rested his head back against the sofa. His head was banging, and he was exhausted- but he still had his pride.

“Trust me, its not worth the headache from Amanda if I don’t” Daniel replied with a grin as he handed the other a bottle of water. Johnny grimaced at the comment, and accepted the drink. The LaRussos had offered for him to stay with them, and he hadn’t really had a choice since he couldn’t drive. “Do you need anything?” Daniel offered.

“No I’m fine thanks” he replied without opening his eyes. Daniel smiled, knowing the other man felt pretty rough he decided to leave him be.

“Is he ok?” Amanda asked softly.

“Think he is just tired from the anaesthetic” Daniel replied as he poured himself a drink. 

“The rest will do him good then” she replied smiling to herself as she saw that the blond had drifted off to sleep on the sofa, damaged hand carefully secured in the sling. Daniel chuckled to himself as he saw the other man.

CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK-CK

Kreese tried to keep the skip out of his step as he walked away from the bar, he loved a good handshake deal, far easier to renege on. 

He knew Johnny would have been careless somewhere- he was just glad to have found the lapse. Now he needed to work on gaining the trust of the students- not that that was hard, its what he had been doing for forty years. 

He smiled as he remembered the first time young Johnny Lawrence had stepped through the doors of the dojo all those years ago- the nervous boy with no friends- shown no love or respect at home and simply crying out for someone to show an interest in him. Kreese had done just that and years later the boy had been his prize pupil- strong, loyal and obedient- everything he had wanted in a student. And boy could he fight- the young man had always been a natural- full of controlled power and strength- that was why he had never dropped a point for two years in a row. 

Kreese shook his head as he remembered ’84- the year of LaRusso- the little punk had somehow got in the head of his best student, made him doubt his instructions and it had cost him- hell it had cost them all. 

He had been enraged that evening- had seen a fire in Johnny’s eyes that had never been there before- a rebellious edge that had marked the end of their relationship. He had nearly killed the boy that night- even now he wasn’t sure if he would have let go if the small Karate master hadn’t intervened. He may well have killed him- he had no idea, but he knew that he had killed any relationship they would ever have had. His rage had done that in the car park. From that point forward Johnny had not set foot back in his dojo again, most the of the other Cobras following suit. That had cost him massively- he was never sure he would be able to forgive his young protégé for that- but then he had seen him again all these years later. The familiar blonde hair and striking blue eyes- the sleeveless black Gi, and the controlled power that radiated from him- and it was like he was back in time thirty years.

He swallowed past the thought- he couldn’t get sentimental over his former student, he needed to focus on the anger of his rejection and the part he had played in his ruin. Yes he would get Cobra Kai back- with or without Johnny Lawrence. 

End Chapter Fourteen


End file.
